[fw-wiz] Re: Ethics & hiring

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To: firewall-wizards@honor.icsalabs.com
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 15:13:00 -0500 (EST)

 --- Bennett Todd <bet@rahul.net> wrote:
>
> Anti-virus companies are in a very, very awkward position. Their
> business is profitable solely because of the widespread problems
> with viruses; if it weren't for all the malware authors, they'd be
> out of business. They make their money on viruses.

I feel that there's something wrong with this argument. This would seem to be
a core characteristic of any market that sells products that defend/protect you
from Bad Things. Examples would include snow tires (snowstorms), portable
generators (power blackouts), and, perhaps more relevant to the discussion,
home security systems (burglars). Would there not be an incentive for
manufacturers of any of these products to somehow increase the frequency of Bad
Things to boost their sales? Is it just because viruses are easier to create
than snowstorms, blackouts, or burglars that we view anti-virus vendors with
such suspicion?

I need convincing that anti-virus vendors are in a more awkward position than
any other manufacturer of anti-Bad Thing products.

=====
Mike Smith

"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
                        H.G. Wells - The Outline of History

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