Sun Duh and the Reality of War

["Steven M. Christey" <coley () mitre org>]

OK, I just saw one Sun Tzu quote too many and I'm sick of it.
Actually, I was looking at one of the latest Metasploit advisories
that ends with a Sun-Tzu-like phrase that was not by Sun Tzu, but it
reminded me of how much I am sick of hearing from Sun Tzu.

What about his lesser-known cousin, Sun Duh?  Can we learn anything
from him?  Sure, Sun Tzu had some great wisdom that has lasted
throughout the ages, but what about the reality of Sun Duh?  Is it
equally timeless?

Apologies if such an obvious inquiry has been made before, but it
would be interesting to see if other people have run across other
tidbits of reality from the under-quoted Sun Duh.

- Steve


Sun Duh: When you think you are safe, you are actually safe.

Sun Duh: You have no enemies!  Relax, already.

Sun Duh: Advocate and maintain absolute secrecy.  That way, when you
are defeated, you will not notice.

Sun Duh: Do not secure today that which can be secured tomorrow.

Sun Duh: Do not try to know your enemy.  Because they are bad and you
are good, enemies are not worth knowing.

Sun Duh: Introducing unpredictability and flexibility will confuse
your enemy more than it will confuse you.

Sun Duh: Security and ease of use are mutually exclusive.  This should
be assumed rather than questioned.

Sun Duh: Do not avoid or punish the vendors who sell you their faulty
wares, for if you keep buying, you will eventually gain influence over
them.

Sun Duh: If a proof of concept suggests the possibility of great risk
but does not prove it, then it should only be treated as evidence of a
lesser risk.

Sun Duh: The heralds of doom are rarely correct and always annoying.

Sun Duh: Nobody is more clever than you.

Sun Duh: The only way to mitigate a technological threat is to use
more advanced technology.