Truth About Computer Security Hysteria

Gypsys Tramps & Thieves

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 town They'd call us gypsys, tramps, and thieves But every night all the vendors would come around And lay their press releases down