Flaw finders to software makers: It's payback time

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No respect

Companies consider their software intellectual property, with monetary value.
But they fail to adequately acknowledge that the discovery of flaws is also intellectual property with value, monetary and otherwise.

If I find a bug, report it responsibly and nothing happens, I am being robbed of the opportunity to demonstrate my skill, which can lead to job opportunities and respect in the industry. To deny these researches this is pigheaded and wrong, as well as harmful to the public in general. These researches are providing a valuable service for free. Companies had better recognize this or figure out how to release software without bugs. (No, it can't be done, so they'd better work on their relationships with these researchers.)

Do I have any sympathy for the software companies? No. Because in the end, I the user am the one who is hurt by their stubborness.

That said, publishing a flaw publicly without allowing the company time to patch is irresponsible, but the article seems to indicate this is a declining practive among security researchers.

Posted by: shraven   Posted on: 08/17/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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