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This is an astonishing level of incompetence for "A worldwide trusted provider of Secure Identity Solutions". Isn't there any competition in that market, or pre

This is an astonishing level of incompetence for "A worldwide trusted provider of Secure Identity Solutions". Isn't there any competition in that market, or pressure to be scrutinized for certification/suitability for government contracts etc.?

TeMPOraL 11y ago
> Isn't there any competition in that market Whether there is or there isn't, it doesn't matter. People buying these systems are usually not competent enough to evaluate security issues, and companies do their best to hide information about such incidents while spending tons of money on marketing. Competition doesn't solve those issues when its the salesmen who control information flow to customer (or in other words, it pretty much never solves those issues).
- lazyjones 11y ago
  > Competition doesn't solve those issues when its the salesmen who control information flow to customer Wouldn't a competent competitor aim to point out flaws in such products and claim they're doing it better? Unless security is just a buzzword and not a real feature in this market, that is...
  - HeyLaughingBoy 11y ago
    Every salesperson points out flaws in competitive products and claims they're doing it better. I'm willing to bet that HID's sales people can find lots of stuff their competitors do that they are doing better. We just happen to be focused on security here. not a real feature in this market I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case. It's very likely that since security in an access control product is key (heh!), the customer simply assumes everything on the market is secure.
  - superuser2 11y ago
    >not a real feature in this market Entirely possible. I'd guess that most of these systems replace mechanical locks wide open to anyone with the right tools and a few hours of lockpicking training. In retrofits it's common for the mechanical lock to still be there as an override, so bumping/picking may still be the weakest link. Most are probably also deployed next to windows which are vulnerable to rocks, and on doors which wouldn't stand up to a crowbar or boot. Access control is mostly about deterring casual users and bounding/monitoring/revoking the access of legitimate employees. Systems designed to stand up to teams of security experts are something else entirely.

TeMPOraL 11y ago

> Isn't there any competition in that market Whether there is or there isn't, it doesn't matter. People buying these systems are usually not competent enough to evaluate security issues, and companies do their best to hide information about such incidents while spending tons of money on marketing. Competition doesn't solve those issues when its the salesmen who control information flow to customer (or in other words, it pretty much never solves those issues).

lazyjones 11y ago
> Competition doesn't solve those issues when its the salesmen who control information flow to customer Wouldn't a competent competitor aim to point out flaws in such products and claim they're doing it better? Unless security is just a buzzword and not a real feature in this market, that is...
- HeyLaughingBoy 11y ago
  Every salesperson points out flaws in competitive products and claims they're doing it better. I'm willing to bet that HID's sales people can find lots of stuff their competitors do that they are doing better. We just happen to be focused on security here. not a real feature in this market I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case. It's very likely that since security in an access control product is key (heh!), the customer simply assumes everything on the market is secure.
- superuser2 11y ago
  >not a real feature in this market Entirely possible. I'd guess that most of these systems replace mechanical locks wide open to anyone with the right tools and a few hours of lockpicking training. In retrofits it's common for the mechanical lock to still be there as an override, so bumping/picking may still be the weakest link. Most are probably also deployed next to windows which are vulnerable to rocks, and on doors which wouldn't stand up to a crowbar or boot. Access control is mostly about deterring casual users and bounding/monitoring/revoking the access of legitimate employees. Systems designed to stand up to teams of security experts are something else entirely.