[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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