http://www.kumite.com/myths
Your CIO can reduce virus hoaxes in your firm. Here's how
Special info for antivirus vendors
Questions the antivirus firms sometimes ask
- The "Email Infrastructure Security Test Plan From Hell" will go public at
InfoWARcon.
- The EISQüB project (Email Infrastructure Security Quality Barometer) begins when the builder
finishes my new computer lab. View
this slideshow for
more insight.
- I hope to play with AV products someday for Cobalt's Qube2 & NASRaQ platforms.
Biased? You better believe it. I only consider myself "non-aligned."
Do I hate the AV industry? No. You provide an absolutely essential service and I want you to
earn every single penny you can get. I hope your stock options go through the roof, too. I just want y'all to
take ethics into account. I inflict my ethical standards on you because the media certainly doesn't hold
you to any.
Why does [company] get so many good URL links on your website?
Someone at the firm usually sends an email when a new hoax-related page goes up
on their website.
As if I'd actually tell you? Sure, why not... Current and former employees brief me. Your salesmen blab
all sorts of things to customers who later write to me. I call tech support to confirm what I learn. Oh, and your
competitors whine about your antics.
Only if it supports a pet project and if it's software. Otherwise I'll
politely decline. I get swamped if I juggle more than 4-5 different apps on my production boxes. Don't worry,
though: I rotate products occasionally.
Please note: I don't accept gratis hardware from computer security firms. Even a "loaner" would
create the appearance of quid pro quo.
You bet! Please feel free to call my office at (319) 646-2800. I might sound flippant at times and I might
disagree strongly about certain things -- but you'll find me much more amicable than you might think.
Phone calls & emails remain private by default. (I'm not a reporter looking for a scoop.) If
you want to tell me about a new hoax you've noticed, great! If you want to critique my opinions, great! If you
want to brief me about a new product or technology, great! I'd even like to chat by phone on a regular
basis if you can stand it (perhaps once every other month).
If you want me to sign an NDA before we talk, then save your breath. I won't hold it against you for keeping your
mouth shut.
The rules are simple. Hotel & airfare come out of MY pocket, not yours. (I'll let you pick
up my lunch tab.) I still have a few dates available in August for my west coast AV vendor tour...
I show up on your doorstep and you get me for the whole day. You can attach me to a PR wonk during my visit if you
wish, but I want to eat with real virus experts. (You cover their lunch tab.) Or, you may set up a PR luncheon
for clients/media where I'll give a virus hoax lecture. At the end of
the day, I depart entirely at my expense.
I'd like to meet privately with one of the bigwigs for at least a half-hour. I consider it a "get to know
you" session. I'd also like to meet the PR team (if you have one) for a half-hour so I can better understand
your firm's views on publicity.
- July 2000
- Tampa/Miami, FL region
- 11 July: Command Software
- 12 July:
- August 2000
- West coast AV vendors
- 14 August: Microsoft
- 15 August: Network Associates
- 16 August:
- 17 August:
- 18 August:
- September 2000
- Washington, DC region
- 11 September:
- 12 September: InfoWARcon
- 13 September: InfoWARcon
- 14 September:
- 15 September:
- Orlando, FL region
- 28 September: Virus Bulletin
- 29 September: Virus Bulletin
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