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Infamous Hacker Heading Chinese Antivirus Firm?

37 points by boh 14y ago

seanmcdirmid 14y ago
I don't understand what the controversy is about. Who better to work on anti-virus software than an former virus writer? They know the enemy, so to speak.
- TsiCClawOfLight 14y ago
  once hacker, always hacker^^
- apawloski 14y ago
  Because not every criminal can become a Frank Abagnale. It's very possible that Withered Rose is legitimate now, but the reluctance to install his code is not unreasonable.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
Nice bit of detective work, it certainly would seem that this could be another case of a 'bad guy' deciding to use his skills above board to make money. The question of whether or not the company will be 'legit' is completely bogus though. It isn't an uncommon path for folks and when they've gone above board they have been just as faithful to the 'protect' mission as they were to the 'attack' mission. About the only thing you can really say is that if this guy really is a state sponsored actor then is Anvisoft a cover for the Chinese military. Answering that question would be a lot harder. Is Semantic really being run by the CIA? Sure there are tinfoil types will say they do, but seriously? A long time ago I was talking to some folks about running x86 'emulators' on SPARC for a product that would let you run PC programs on Sun Workstations. One of the 'side' businesses that such an endeavor enabled was sharing how various copy protection schemes worked with folks who were interested in providing workarounds. I could believe that a state sponsored Antivirus company would pass on details of zero days they got by watching other things try to break into systems they were on.
- deliciouscoffee 14y ago
  I think fundamentally the issue is one of accountability and trust. The company being unwilling to disclose the name of its chief executive or its true physical location is (and should be) a major red flag. That same company is also offering a product that once installed will have complete access to a user's computer and data. To me at least this is enough to call the legitimacy of the company into question.
mimog 14y ago
This sort of thing is what keeps the myth of antivirus companies being the ones creating all the damn viruses going.
paulsutter 14y ago
Come on guys, would you install an antivirus package from a company that purports to be run out of this storefront? http://twitpic.com/bd8nyj/full http://twitpic.com/bd8nyj/full “The person who runs anvisoft company is not worth mentioning because he is unknown to you. Yes, the company is located at Canada. 5334 Yonge Street, Suite 141, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6V1, Canada.”
rohern 14y ago
“The person who runs anvisoft company is not worth mentioning because he is unknown to you.” Now that is customer service.

37 points by boh 14y ago

I don't understand what the controversy is about. Who better to work on anti-virus software than an former virus writer? They know the enemy, so to speak.

TsiCClawOfLight 14y ago
once hacker, always hacker^^
apawloski 14y ago
Because not every criminal can become a Frank Abagnale. It's very possible that Withered Rose is legitimate now, but the reluctance to install his code is not unreasonable.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

Nice bit of detective work, it certainly would seem that this could be another case of a 'bad guy' deciding to use his skills above board to make money. The question of whether or not the company will be 'legit' is completely bogus though. It isn't an uncommon path for folks and when they've gone above board they have been just as faithful to the 'protect' mission as they were to the 'attack' mission. About the only thing you can really say is that if this guy really is a state sponsored actor then is Anvisoft a cover for the Chinese military. Answering that question would be a lot harder. Is Semantic really being run by the CIA? Sure there are tinfoil types will say they do, but seriously? A long time ago I was talking to some folks about running x86 'emulators' on SPARC for a product that would let you run PC programs on Sun Workstations. One of the 'side' businesses that such an endeavor enabled was sharing how various copy protection schemes worked with folks who were interested in providing workarounds. I could believe that a state sponsored Antivirus company would pass on details of zero days they got by watching other things try to break into systems they were on.

deliciouscoffee 14y ago
I think fundamentally the issue is one of accountability and trust. The company being unwilling to disclose the name of its chief executive or its true physical location is (and should be) a major red flag. That same company is also offering a product that once installed will have complete access to a user's computer and data. To me at least this is enough to call the legitimacy of the company into question.

mimog 14y ago

This sort of thing is what keeps the myth of antivirus companies being the ones creating all the damn viruses going.

paulsutter 14y ago

Come on guys, would you install an antivirus package from a company that purports to be run out of this storefront? http://twitpic.com/bd8nyj/full http://twitpic.com/bd8nyj/full “The person who runs anvisoft company is not worth mentioning because he is unknown to you. Yes, the company is located at Canada. 5334 Yonge Street, Suite 141, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6V1, Canada.”

rohern 14y ago

“The person who runs anvisoft company is not worth mentioning because he is unknown to you.” Now that is customer service.