Full Disclosure mailing list archives
RE: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing
From: "Thor Larholm" <thor () pivx com>
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 12:00:51 -0700
I sincerely hope this is a gross misquote. You can't have any kind of research, whether it's security research online or academic research offline of any kind, without the very likely potential of bad guys having access to the same information and papers you release. Following through on this would be equal to outlawing any kind of university research that could be used by 'bad guys', whatever form those might currently be - in effect, shutting down any kind of research. It's a slippery slope leading to chaos, and I doubt John Schwarz realize the implications of his suggestion. This would effectively outlaw the entire private security industry and leave it in the buraucratically impaired hands of the exempted government to secure any kind of american software. I guess a few of the big players, such as Symantec, could be gradually incorporated in those governmental efforts, at the sacrifize of independent research. This would undermine and endanger software security more than any effort displayed so far by the 'bad guys'. On the positive side, it would at least weaken the monopoly of Microsoft severely by forcing the rest of the world to no longer use american software due to its inherent insecurities caused by a lack of independent security research. I doubt most of us realize he implications already caused by having those suggestions raised at a House Committee, not too many steps away from becoming part of new proposals. You should never let your fear outconquer your logic, it will only produce well intended but damaging results. Regards Thor Larholm PivX Solutions, LLC - Senior Security Researcher -----Original Message----- From: Richard M. Smith [mailto:rms () computerbytesman com] Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 6:47 AM To: BUGTRAQ@SECURITYFOCUS. COM Subject: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Hi, Here's an interesting quote from John Schwarz, the COO of Symantec, in a Wired.com article from today: Just Say No to Viruses and Worms http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,60391,00.html "But perhaps the most controversial suggestion came from John Schwarz, president and COO of antivirus firm Symantec, who called for legislation to criminalize the sharing of information and tools online that can be used by malicious hackers and virus writers." As we all know, when it comes to discussing information about computer security vulnerabilities, it is difficult to separate security uses of this information and hacking uses of the same information. For example, if Symantec were to get this law passed, are they prepared to see their employees who work on the Bugtraq email list go to jail? ;-) Richard M. Smith http://www.ComputerBytesMan.com _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
Current thread:
- Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Richard M. Smith (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Jonathan Rickman (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Azerail (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Adam Shostack (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Gregory A. Gilliss (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Blue Boar (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Darren Reed (Sep 12)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Jason Coombs (Sep 11)
- Re: RE: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing l8km7gr02 (Sep 11)
- RE: RE: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Jason Coombs (Sep 11)
- Re: RE: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing l8km7gr02 (Sep 11)
- RE: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Thor Larholm (Sep 11)
- Re: Symantec wants to criminalize security info sharing Jonathan Rickman (Sep 11)