[fyodor at insecure.org: C|Net Download.Com is now bundling Nmap with malware!]
Kain, Rebecca (.)
bkain1 at ford.com
Tue Dec 6 18:57:34 UTC 2011
Having seen the previous owner of my house's cabinet building skills, and living with them, I'm all for licensing!
-----Original Message-----
From: Nathan Eisenberg [mailto:nathan at atlasnetworks.us]
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 1:55 PM
To: nanog at nanog.org
Subject: RE: [fyodor at insecure.org: C|Net Download.Com is now bundling Nmap with malware!]
> It could be argued that Nmap is malware, and such software has already
> been called to be made illegal.
>
> If I was Cnet, I would stop distributing his software altogether.
>
> Link: http://nmap.org/book/legal-issues.html
It could. But making such an argument calls the arguer's grasp of reality into question. Nmap is a tool, like any other. It has no more ethical value than a nail gun or a hammer. In the hands of an engineer, it is a valuable addition to a toolkit. In the hands of an attacker, it can become a weapon.
If it could be argued that Nmap is malware, then it could be argued that hammers are weapons; therefore, we should call on Home Depot to stop carrying these deadly instruments with all due alacrity - or at least have governments step in and create licensing programs for hand tools.
Nathan Eisenberg
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