Slashdot Mirror
Security Tools More Harmful Than Helpful?
soblasted writes "With the recent 2.0 release of the Metasploit Framework, people are wondering if
security tools like it do more good than harm. This
article attempts to answer the question. The legitimate use of the framework is for security researchers to use in exploit testing and development.It will run on any OS with Perl, and includes a CLI and web GUI, along with many ready to run exploits and payload modules. With HP also
developing systems to preemptively attack their own networks, has this become acceptable?" This issue reminds me of the first release of SATAN and the uproar it caused.
You know, you'd think that a google search for "satan" wouldn't be all that helpful for us noobs. Guess I was wrong!
Do subsequent versions of Satan have fewer vulnerabilities? ie resistance to garlic, silver, crosses, upright pentagrams, white witches, holy water, Billy Graham etc?
My hyperlinks aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
Who needs Metaploit when all you really need is an article on the front page of /.? I was looking around the page before it was posted to /. and as I was nearing completion of the downloads, I noticed things begin to choke. "Ahhh....", I thought to myself, "Must be on /." Now with a total of 25 or so posts it's coming to a screeching halt. We really have to come up with a way to warn webmasters when their site is going to be linked from /.
But why is the rum gone?
Post a link to helpful information on Slashdot, and it's a DDoS attack...
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
I love how many people, especially the media, love to generalize any product that has the potential for misuse to be a sinister product...
Historically there are so many other examples, such as lockpick kits which are illegal in many states and countries, or are requiring licenses to use. Let's not forget the old Napster, or Kazaa or any other similar P2P, due to misuse, free use P2P is generalized into a piracy movement alone.
Which reminds me of a joke- A man is at his house during prohibition in the backcountry, when a sheriff comes by and notices that he has all the equipment laid out to make moonshine. Immediately the sheriff arrests the man, citing that having the materials to make moonshine is equivalent to having the contraband itself, though he saw no liquor on the premise. The arrested man takes a long pause, thinks about the situation, and states- "Well, I guess you should arrest me for rape too then, I got all the tools for that crime also!". Embarassed, the sheriff released the man.
You're write - my bad!
Where I live there was just recently a fire fighter who chopped up his girlfriend with his fire axe (normally very useful in saving lives).
I insist we ban fire axes. Misusing innocent tools for hacking is intolerable.
Also, binoculars should be banned because they just help terrorists look for physical security vulnerabilities.
We need strong laws to protect people who are too lazy and incompetent to protect themselves. Security through court-ordered obscurity is the only way to freedom.