Truth About Computer Security Hysteria
Gypsys Tramps & Thieves
Rob Rosenberger, Vmyths co-founderThursday, 17 January 2002 COMPUTER ECONOMICS, INC. felt the heat this month when they announced a "grand total" for virus damages in 2001. Wired and The Register took a critical look at the firm and its antivirus numbers racket. I urge you to read both stories.
Memo to the johns: accept or reject your hooker. You can't have it both ways.Right now, though, I want to focus on two intertwined comments in The Register's story. They reveal a telltale skirmish between two johns and a hooker. The johns are Britain's largest antivirus firms, Sophos & MessageLabs; the hooker is Computer Economics, Inc. Sophos and MessageLabs told reporter John Leyden "that Computer Economics has never contacted them about statistics on infections." When asked about it, VP Michael Erbschloe "said he didn't care what Sophos or MessageLabs thought. He said [antivirus] vendors quote Computer Economics figures but disagree when an estimate is either higher or lower than suits them." Erbschloe made an important statement here. I slammed Sophos almost two years ago for using Erbschloe's guesstimates in their press releases. MessageLabs bears the same guilt. Many other antivirus firms around the world bear the guilt as well. To paraphrase a verse from Cher:
We'd hear it from the experts of the townMemo to the johns: accept or reject your hooker. Vmyths won't let you have it both ways.
They'd call us gypsys, tramps, and thieves
But every night all the vendors would come around
And lay their press releases down