IT Professionals

Security Monkey?

Posted by on Jul 18, 2008 | 2 Comments

Normally I am not one to follow Linus Torvalds anymore than I might follow the happenings of Bill Gates. To be blunt, I really do not care. But I found his thoughts on people that share security exploits interesting. The overall argument seems to make enough sense, place less importance on the person pointing out the flaw and more on the person who is fixing it. I have to admit, there is a certain dry logic there.

But I might also point out that being extremely thorough is not really such a bad thing. Not sure if this means we are creating “heroes” in the security sector so much as calling attention to issues that need to be resolved. And as for security people gaining some kind of fame, I think that is the silliest thing I have ever heard.

Am I all wet here? Does promoting security exploits to the point of promoting the person discovering them create a new set of problems? To the degree that developers fixing related bugs are simply not seeing the level of recognition that they should be? Hit the comments, share your thoughts.

  • Daniel

    I agree with they are kinda of promoting security exploits. The real points you need to solve the security exploit to get all systems back to noramal.

  • Wes

    What and interesting world we live in. Security Monkey story. Depending on the level of actual knowledge when “shown” the same picture mutiple people see totally diverse pictures, even if it is the same tree and grass around it. “Perhaps that is why it takes 5 – 14 “experts to attempt to address any real technology application, with still limited results. Total Picture was missing to start with. This would indicate you are really in trouble with a 25 piece puzzle. The examples surround us and are very costly. At the same time looking beneath the hype, spin, manipulation and less than addiquit knowledge we no longer even notice those that do know and those that don’t. If we did we surely would not be allowing the most advanced technology “manipulators” in the world to freely come to visit, prove their abilities, and litterally play with our own National Infrastructure, just to cost us billions and prove they can do it. The top 5 actual techies in government, (used to be) have known this since 2002, while even with actual examples the rest took till last year to figure out that in just one of 22 orginal examples supported by facts there could be a problem. Could it be that just a little broader vision and depth of knowledge might be required?