Very recently, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property released an interesting (if 84 page long) report on preventing theft of IP. You can read it here: http://ipcommission.org/report/IP_Commission_Report_052213.pdf

It’s interesting because it proposes the use of malware to prevent theft. In other words, they suggested that malware (spyware, rootkits, ransomware and Trojans) can be deployed to test your computer for pirated software and lock it until you confess to some law enforcement agency!

“Software can be written that will allow only authorized users to open files containing valuable information. If an unauthorized person accesses the information, a range of actions might then occur. For example, the file could be rendered inaccessible and the unauthorized user’s computer could be locked down, with instructions on how to contact law enforcement to get the password needed to unlock the account. Such measures do not violate existing laws on the use of the Internet, yet they serve to blunt attacks and stabilize a cyber incident to provide both time and evidence for law enforcement to become involved.”

and

“While not currently permitted under U.S. law, there are increasing calls for creating a more permissive environment for active network defense that allows companies not only to stabilize a situation but to take further steps, including actively retrieving stolen information, altering it within the intruder’s networks, or even destroying the information within an unauthorized network. Additional measures go further, including photographing the hacker using his own system’s camera, implanting malware in the hacker’s network, or even physically disabling or destroying the hacker’s own computer or network.”

This is Stuxnet. It also isn’t new. “Brain” was the first PC virus ever created and was designed to do to do exactly this. Guess how that turned out, and what do viruses do today? How about Sony and Rootkits? All they did was compromise computer stability. Surprise: Like Brain, they did nothing to the Pirates except give them another tool to harm you with. Even Sony’s “removal tool” caused BSODs, and could be used to elevate privileges on a system. Also, it could be used by hackers to run code remotely on your PC or to allow websites to do the same. Trying to remove them would remove access to CD and DVD drives. Wonderful.

The ends do not  justify the means. No one should be allowed to unleash this kind of thing on the net, or have it pre-installed on your OEM with or without your knowledge. They will destabilize and/or make your computers more exploitable.

I am continually amazed by those who think that by simply laying on a coat of paint, they’ve solved the problem of the underlying rust. Painting stripes on a giraffe will not turn it into a zebra.

Malware is malware. It cannot be turned into goodware or secureware. It will become disseminated and it will be used for nefarious purposes.

You don’t have to believe me. Ask Alfred Nobel about how dynamite ended warfare.

Even worse!

What about the heuristic software used to reveal malware by its behavior? By encouraging such idiotic nonsense, these people are actually proposing the neutralizing of a very important class of software which actually does do good things to secure your computers.

While I learned of this through an Emsisoft email (they make heuristic software as well as other security software), I do not favor their software more than others as an “instead of”. I consider it at most an additional layer of security. I did not receive financial or other considerations from Emsisoft (and/or their affiliates/partners) now or in the past for any review or mention of their software.

In no way should this be taken as advocacy of piracy or theft of IP simply because I disagree with a certain proposed method of defense. Theft is theft, just as malware is malware. No layer of pretty paint is going to change that.

Source:

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/kb/articles/ticker130606/?ref=news130606&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=tec130606&utm_campaign=news130606