Symantec Buys SecurityFocus, among others....

[full-disclosure () lists netsys com (Jack)]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bela Lubkin 
To: full-disclosure () lists netsys com 
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 4:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Full-disclosure] Symantec Buys SecurityFocus, among 
others....

> Meanwhile, I haven't heard that Symantec has actually _done_ anything
> that would harm bugtraq.

Yet. What will happen is:

1. All approved messages will now contain commercial .sigs: "BUY 
NORTON ANTIVIRUS 50% OFF!!!"
2. Further down the road, the moderators and co-founders of 
securityfocus will have a fall out with the
top brass of Symantec. They'll be replaced by Symantec newsgroup  
support staff
3. Even further down the road, Symantec will take a beating in the 
markets. They'll scramble how to generate revenue. Bugtraq, 
subscriber based for a fee, vuln datatabase, fee based et cetra
4.
5.

the list goes on.

Why should something as important and as valuable as bugtraq 
remains "free"? Symantec didn't buy it for 75 million just to "give 
it away to everyone".


"'SecurityFocus has developed the world's most comprehensive and up-
to-date database of vulnerabilities available. Symantec will continue 
to license the Vulnerability Database to security product vendors, 
managed service providers and other organizations that use it to 
create powerful new security products and services for their 
customers'"

"'By monitoring almost 11,000 distinct versions of more than 2,700 
products from 1,300 vendors, SecurityFocus provides proactive, 
customized alert services for environment-specific vulnerabilities 
and malicious code alerts.'"

http://www.symantec.com/press/2002/n020717.html


You're all working for Symantec now. Going rate: nothing