Patrick Gray of the Risky Business security podcast wrote a funny rant about why many who work in computer security are secretly chuckling at the antics of hacker/cracker/prankster entity Lulzsec.
“They’re posting proprietary developer code. They’re bringing back Tupac and Biggie. They’re advising Nintendo on more secure httpd configurations. And they’re issuing funny press releases via Twitter and Pastebin,” Patrick writes.
But more to the point, professional consultants have been trying to teach the I.T. world these fundamental lessons about security for ages—now, thanks to LulzSec, the world is finally listening.
It might be surprising to external observers, but security professionals are also secretly getting a kick out of watching these guys go nuts.
I wrote my first article on information security around May 2001. It was about the Sadmind worm and it ran on the letters page of the IT section of The Age newspaper in Melbourne.
“Geez,” I thought to myself. “If awareness isn’t raised about the unsuitability of these computamajiggies for srs bizness, we could encounter some problems down the track.”
So for the last ten years I’ve been working in media, trying to raise awareness of the idea that maybe, just maybe, using insecure computers to hold your secrets, conduct your commerce and run your infrastructure is a shitty idea.
No one who mattered listened. Executives think it’s FUD. They honestly think that if they keep paying their annual AV subscriptions they’ll be shielded by Mr. Norton’s magic cloak.
Security types like LulzSec because they’re proving what a mess we’re in. They’re pointing at the elephant in the room and saying “LOOK AT THE GIGANTIC FUCKING ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM ZOMG WHY CAN’T YOU SEE IT??? ITS TRUNK IS IN YR COFFEE FFS!!!”
There is no security, there will be no security. The horse has bolted, and it’s not going to be the infrastructure that’s going to change, it’s going to be us.
“Why we secretly love LulzSec: Elephant in room visible. Cans open. Worms everywhere.” (risky.biz)