Monopolies and security

[Posted September 24, 2003 by corbet]

The Computer & Communications Industry Association has published a paper (available in PDF format) titled "CyberInsecurity: The Cost of Monopoly." This paper, written by Dan Geer, Rebecca Bace, Peter Gutmann, Perry Metzger, Charles Pfleeger, John Quarterman, and Bruce Schneier, makes the claim that software monocultures are hazardous to the security of the net as a whole. When one system is vulnerable, all systems are vulnerable. The authors also take Microsoft to task for its efforts to maintain and strengthen its monopoly, and for its poor security record. Suggestions in the paper include forcing Microsoft to make Office available for Linux and other operating systems.

Geer no longer at @Stake

Posted Sep 26, 2003 20:15 UTC (Fri) by bjn (guest, #2179) [Link]

MSNBC and other sources are reporting that an @Stake insider said he was fired. @Stake's
statement is that the paper's conclusions don't mesh with their views on Microsoft products:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/971914.asp

Monopolies and security

Posted Sep 26, 2003 20:17 UTC (Fri) by cross (guest, #13601) [Link]

I assume that this is the paper that Geer was fired for writing?

"The chief technology officer for a technology firm that works closely with Microsoft Corp. lost his job after he helped write a study critical of the insecurity of Microsoft software.
Daniel E. Geer Jr., an expert with nearly three decades studying technology and computer security, learned Thursday he was no longer employed by AtStake Inc. of Cambridge, Mass."
<a href="/http://securityfocus.com/news/7069/">http://securityfocus.com/news/7069</a><br>