Re: OS X Viruses...
Re: OS X Viruses...
- Subject: Re: OS X Viruses...
- From: "Randy B. Singer" <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 22:35:45 -0700
Matt Johnston said:
>
On Tuesday, July 30, 2002, at 06:42 , Randy B. Singer wrote:
>
> All that is necessary would be to inform Apple (privately) about any
>
> potential security breach.
>
The Software Update "hole" was a good example. If they had followed the
>
channels you suggest then we'd still be waiting on a fix.
You have no way of knowing that. I don't see that Apple would have had
any less incentive to quickly come out with a fix for that security hole
if they were informed privately. Apple knows that they can be sued by
users who have been harmed by a security hole that they had full
knowledge of, yet did not remedy.
>
It doesn't matter if you're an attorney or not, disclosure is the way
>
the world, and that means the Internet, works.
It doesn't matter if you care that I am an attorney or not. The fact is
that there are laws in place that make disseminating malicious code a
crime. It is also a civil offense. If you do so, even if you profess
the best of intentions, and it is turned into a malicious virus by some
child playing around, that causes economic harm, you will more than
likely do jail time, and pay a very hefty fine.
But even disregarding the law, posting malicious code on the Web for
people to download and exploit isn't simply irresponsible, it is morally
repugnant. If some kid downloads that code and turns it into a malicious
virus, try telling tens of thousands of Mac users who have had their data
destroyed that "information longs to be free" and that "this is how the
Web works best." You'll be lucky if you don't get lynched.
Randy B. Singer
Co-Author of: The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th and 6th editions)
In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to
finding a cure for j_rks. - Calvin and Hobbes
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