[funsec] Smoodge: Micorosft & eEye

[Nick FitzGerald]

Drsolly wrote:

> > I like a good friend's description of marketing and PR as "misleading
> > with the truth"...
> 
> The essence of the lie is the *intent* to deceive.

Indeed.

While I was the editor of Virus Bulletin a product exec from a major AV 
company was chatting on the phone about something to do with an 
imminent product test.  We had been joking around a bit when he said 
something like "But seriously, what do you think of <fancy new 
marketing-hyped feature> in the latest version of <his product>?".  I 
made some vaguely dismissive comment to the effect that it was an 
interesting enough feature and would help some folk, but was no deal-
breaker despite the hype...

Him:  So you wouldn't use it? ["So you'd not recommend folk use it?" or
      somesuch...]

Me:   I'd not use it. [I answered truthfully.]

Him:  So Nick, what AV _do_ you use?

Me    None.  [Again, and _still_, truthfully.]

Him:  No, seriously, what AV do you use?

Me:   Seriously, none.  If I need an AV, then I shouldn't be doing this
      job." [I explained that viruses are a code integrity threat and
      thus that "beating" them simply requires you to have good control
      over what code runs on your machine, etc, etc.  And note that at
      that time "editor" of VB was really the top technical position
      and only secondarily a job description -- the assistant editor
      did much of the "publication building" work.]

Him:  So I could run an ad saying "<his product> meets all the AV
      requirements of the Virus Bulletin editor."  I like it.

His last response came without him missing a beat.

And would be a perfectly good example of "misleading with the truth" 
(everything, thus _anything_, matches the empty set).

[And, no this was not the same person who provided the "definition" -- 
in fact, they work for major opponents in the AV industry.]


Regards,

Nick FitzGerald