San Jose Mercury News:
Quinn: Sheriff Google, on the software bug beat, is taking prisoners
By Michelle Quinn
Google has anointed itself technology's sheriff, rattling other firms' software doors and windows to see if there are any openings for crooks.
And if the Internet giant finds a vulnerability, it notifies the firm: Make a fix within 90 days or we'll expose the flaw to the public.
"You should be able to use the Web without fear that a criminal or state-sponsored actor is exploiting software bugs to infect your computer, steal secrets or monitor your communications," Google said in a blog post last year announcing Project Zero, its security team on the lookout for software bugs.
Sounds great. But is it?
Some cheer the firm for pushing companies to repair these so-called "zero day" software bugs, technology jargon for previously unknown problems with no ready fixes, especially amid a wave of increasingly serious cyberattacks exposing the sensitive data of millions of people.
But others argue that Google's disclosures, complete with information about how the flaw could be exploited, could tip off hackers. (Read full article)
posted by: gqjournal
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