Write a virus, get caught [or not]..and..er..get offered a job!
[Rant Mode On]
What sort of message is being given out by the current trend of a small minority of security firms who seem to be going out of their way to actively seek out and employ virus writers and ex-virus writers?
The current scenario seems to be, write a virus and get a well paid job in computer security or another IT sector…..is it me or is this just going to encourage more virus [malware] writing?
In the last few months we’ve had SecurePoint employ the creator of Netsky [many of which were quite destructive] and Sasser [Sven Jaschan] as a trainee software developer, working on the companies firewall products. Would you buy a firewall from this company, knowing a self-confessed virus author may have had a hand in it?
Now we have Zoner employing Benny an ex-member of the 29A virus writing group, and what is he working on? Nothing less than Zoner’s own Anti-Virus product…Sheesh, someone needs a reality check! [Who would buy an anti-virus from such a company, would you?]
Don’t get me wrong I’m all for giving someone a second chance, but come off it, isn’t this a bit like letting a known arsonist run a firework factory…OK, yes that is a tad overblown, but you hopefully get the point I’m trying to make?
And if we look further back we can see that this is not a wholly new phenomenon, we have seen Chen Ing-Hau [author of CIH aka Chenobyl] get a job with a Taiwanese company who promptly published a press release boasting that they had a virus author on their staff. Jan de Witt [author of the so-called AnnaKournikova virus] who was offered a job by his towns Mayor in his IT department. And finally, Onel de Guzman [alleged author of LoveBug] was also offered a job.
I think the above clearly shows that some elements in society see malware authors as some form of glorified digital freedom fighters….when in reality they are nothing more than criminals and should be treated as such!
[Rant Mode Off] 
Links to related stories:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/12/vxer_job_controversy/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/20/sasser_kiddo_offered_job/
Please note that this blog has now moved to my own hosted domain here: http://momusings.com/momusings/.
A full RSS/ATOM feed can be found there.
All the data up to the end of December 2006 will be left here, however all postings from the 1st of January 2007 onwards will only be available at this blogs new home.
ALL future postings will only be available at the new site.
