From: InfoSec News (isnc4i.org)
Date: Fri Oct 03 2003 - 00:37:20 CDT

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Forwarded from: Jason Coombs <jasoncscience.org>
Cc: Paul Robichaux <paulrobichaux.net>, InfoSec News <isnc4i.org>,
Dan_Vertoncomputerworld.com, rfornoinfowarrior.org, full-disclosurelists.netsys.com

Paul Robichaux wrote:
> I erred ... but I think Roberta Bragg said ...
> http://mcpmag.com/security

It was very good of you to acknowledge, Paul, that your response was
in error. Mistakes happen... I personally make several per day. Often
in writing. One's goal, if one cares about security, must be to
understand the source of behaviors, biases, preconceived notions,
misunderstandings, etc. that one exhibits in connection with mistakes,
even if a given symptom has only been observed once, and trace those
flaws to their root cause -- then reprogram.

Roberta Bragg makes a sincere attempt to respond to the report, but
she does so with emotion rather than critical thinking and an open
mind. Roberta is currently unwilling to accept, emotionally, that she
is personally supporting a malicious entity that is still engaged in
unfair and unreasonable attacks against good people. This is a normal
response that people go through (denial) when they are struggling to
come to terms with having enabled (co-dependency) a substance abuser.
The thinking is something like this:

"Microsoft can't be evil because if they are then what does that make
me?"

To add context, my professional background includes almost being
published by Microsoft Press recently in the security area... Until
Microsoft saw that the security advice being offered by my book told
too much of the truth, and much of it just wasn't compatible with
corporate monopolistic self-interest.

Here is my response to her article. Since you appear to be an ally of
hers, perhaps you'll forward my comments to her personally.

10/1/2003: Jason Coombs says:

Roberta has been so badly compromised by her own bias that she isn't
aware that she completely missed the point of the report. The
Microsoft monopoly is causing severe harm, and its potential for new
specific harm increases (force multiplication) as the monopoly grows.

A necessary step in the process of information security is selecting
software that is designed with open, provable security features --
until Microsoft changes its abusive, monopolistic behaviors (which
come from the top of the company) it will never build a trustworthy
product.

Roberta chooses to trust Microsoft because she is underinformed.
Perhaps she has smelled the truth and opted for a
financially-comfortable condition of denial where she can help further
Microsoft's cause while looking the other way when Microsoft commits
terrible offenses. This way the stink doesn't create a denial of
service condition for her personal bank account balance.

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