Bonum Certa Men Certa

'Our Governments Just Aren't Engineered for Security'

Money rain



Summary: Financially-driven and favours-motivated government unable to make reasonable decisions that are defensible

SOME MONTHS after Bill Gates had advised Obama (good cop) Steve Ballmer decided to blackmail him (bad cop). Microsoft's influence on the new government is no secret and it shows in every way. Microsoft lobbyists fund this new government and so do William Gates (Bill Senior), Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Steve Ballmer, and his wife Connie, who used to work for Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's current PR Department. For people who think that Microsoft families are distant from Obama, think again and witness the evidence.



More recently we saw the BSA lobbying the government to put industry in charge of national security, so its no surprising that a Microsoft person was almost immediately put at the top of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [1, 2]. The government soon recruited Microsoft's Mundie (who hates Free(dom) software) to assist with technology policy. According to new reports, President Barack Obama may make Microsoft's security person a cybersecurity czar. This is not a joke. Yes, Microsoft and security.

Ex-government cyber official, exec mulled for czar job



[...]

Microsoft's security chief and a veteran of Clinton's and Bush's national security teams are leading candidates for cybersecurity czar, a job that needs White House access and clout to protect networks that underpin the U.S. economy.

President Barack Obama promised last month that he would personally decide who would lead the fight against an epidemic of cybercrime and organize a response to any major cyber attack.

[...]

A leading candidate for the post is Scott Charney, head of Microsoft's cybersecurity division, who has said he won't take the job, according to a source who had direct knowledge of the matter but was not authorized to discuss it. The source said, however, that Charney would change his mind if pressed.


There is more information here:

Two leading candidates have emerged for this job. The first is Scott Charney, head of Microsoft's cybersecurity division.


Coming from the company which says that "[O]ur products just aren't engineered for security," this is black comedy.

One of our readers says: "It's a bad joke to even consider putting an alleged cyber racketeer in charge of national security. There's conflict of interest and he's not qualified.

"Notice that from a business perspective, MS executives have been in constant trouble with both foreign and domestic courts for both unethical and illegal practices. These range from predatory marketing, contract violations, false advertising and They maintained that long-established reputation through lots of hard work and many decisions that could have easily gone the right direction instead. These are crooks.

"On qualifications, just look at MS security track record. Microsoft's own "childish" executives(1) point out that their software is not designed with security in mind(2) and that some (which may very well be *all*) Microsoft code is so in secure that it endangers national security. Ongoing incidents demonstrate(3) that even Microsoft HQ can't secure its own software from Windows worms. That conclusion is made final in their bid to enter the aftermarket anti- Windows-virus software.

"Security is also making sure that material is available when it's needed. Microsoft-style write-only backups don't cut it. So be sure to also look at the unmitigated disaster regarding turnover of the Bush administration's electronic records.

"Ok, that's the tip of the ice berg for Windows security. Then there is also a conflict of interest.

"The government post must be able to fight organized crime and it is dubitable whether an individual who has been part of the problem can suddenly, simply because he is "pressured" to do a 180 and start fighting organized crime.

"Law enforcement, including police, are one of several mechanisms to mitigate social or economic damage. Dams, powergrids, hospitals, and so on are protected because of the great social or economic damage that would come from their destruction or disabling. Unfortunately, MS products have been implicated in air traffic outages, suspected in the East Coast power grid failure, and appear responsible now for great numbers of hospital deaths due to Windows worms.

"Law enforcement in many countries is usually pretty good about community outreach and crime prevention. There are even special units that deal with organized crime. An old method has been to turn a blind eye to "lesser" crimes or criminals in return for something else. Traditionally this include the use of finks to rat on their cohorts. This makes a wide, gray area around a Faustian gamble that the returns at the end will justify the means. In some cases, the give-and-take becomes a way of life rather than a means to an end. However, add the clause "...with a computer" to any known crime and law enforcement becomes paralyzed and, at best, reluctant to help.

"It would be a bad position if law enforcement had somehow become beholden to MS, now that Windows botnets are bought, sold, trade, and fought over by other organized crime groups. These Windows worms are responsible for tens of billions of dollars of damage per Worm. With Windows entering hospitals and health care, this ideology means a real body count, just like another ideologically motivated group the Taliban. Deaths and/or major damage usually are indicators that intervention is needed.

"Really, Charney, and his cohorts at MS, should be considered for a special place in the government: Camp X-Ray."




(1) US DOJ




(2) "... Microsoft code was so flawed it could not be safely disclosed."

-- eWeek




(3) '"Our products just aren't engineered for security," admitted Valentine,who since 1998 has headed Microsoft's Windows division.'

-- "Microsoft: "Our products aren't engineered for security," ComputerWeekly. (2002)

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Crime and Corruption at Microsoft GitHub Cannot be Covered Up by SLAPPs in Another Continent
We'll write about this for a long time to come
Slop Videos Are Disappointing Garbage, Nothing New, Just Brute Force up on Display or a Pedestal of Slop
Slop videos aren't a new thing
Slopwatch: Linux Journal, Linuxsecurity, and Google News Getting Even Worse (More Slopfarms Added Which Attack Linux With Bruce-Force SPAM)
Google News is part of the same problem
GNU/Linux is Replacing Microsoft Windows. But We Need to Eradicate Microsoft, It's a Hub of Crime.
I have been writing about Microsoft since the 1990s when I was in school
 
Weeks After Microsoft Bankruptcy in Russia the Company Shuts Down in Pakistan, Too
Last month Windows' share in Pakistan fell to an all-time low
Rob Musial's June 2025 Additions of Malware in Proprietary Software
Via the GNU Web site this week
Links 04/07/2025: Microsoft's H-1B Visa Applications Show Another Crisis Unfolding, Many More Deep Cuts and Shutdowns Revealed, Complete Microsoft Exits
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/07/2025: A Day To Remember and "Stop Killing Games"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 03, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 03, 2025
The War on Local Storage (People Hosting Their Files Locally and Privately)
There's nothing wrong with controlling one's computing
What Digital Independence Means
Independence in the digital realms means abandoning platforms like GitHub, not just rejecting proprietary software
NVidia is a Bubble
they temporarily see fortunes and wrongly assume perpetuity thereof
Fedora Does Not Care About Diversity and Inclusion, It's About Optics (Corporate Image)
any notion of inclusion is superficial and misleading
Don't Buy the Excuses for Microsoft's Mass Layoffs
Back in the 90s, Microsoft bought a lot of companies to get and stay ahead
Happy Independence Day to Our American Readers
Maybe tomorrow will be a good opportunity to explain to American people - in terms of concepts, not brands - which tools respect their independence
Links 03/07/2025: More Cuts and Cancellations at Microsoft Revealed
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/07/2025: Favourite Child and Launching WikiGem
Links for the day
Mystery Surrounding the PCLinuxOS Sites and PCLinuxOS Magazine
Let's hope this isn't something major
People and Companies Do Learn Some Lessons From Their Mistakes (Stubborn Ones Don't)
Brett Wilson LLP is an example of one that would rather drown in mistakes
Links 03/07/2025: 'Hey Hi' Slop Ridiculed Some More and Microsoft's Layoffs Tally for 2025 Reaches About 29,000 in Just 6 Months (Almost 5,000 Per Month)
Links for the day
Microsoft Staff Harassing Women, Strangling Women, Telling Women to Kill Themselves and Worse? Not a Problem!
Two women have left Brett Wilson LLP
The Slopfarms Are Losing the Plot (and Google is Propping Up Rogue Sites)
Google is part of the attack on the Web, on information, and on technology
New BetaNews Realises There's No Potential or Future in Slopfarms, Prior Editor Wayne Williams is Back
They realise that slop (so-called "AI") cannot replace humans
Claims That Microsoft Looks for Staff That Works More and Gets Paid Less (or Can Only Code by Grabbing Other People's Code, Under the Guise of "AI")
People can form their own opinion
Richard Stallman Was Right About Reasons Not to Use Microsoft
last updated 2017
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 02, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 02, 2025
Gemini Links 03/07/2025: No to Cloudflare and Small Web July
Links for the day
Links 02/07/2025: Deep Microsoft Cuts, Macron Speaks to Putin
Links for the day
Confirmed: Microsoft Shutdowns Today, Not Only Mass Layoffs
"The Initiative is the only studio closure planned today, although some other teams have seen cuts of varying degrees."
Microsoft Windows Nosedives in Switzerland While GNU/Linux Leaps Above 6%
sooner or later they might have to make the move anyway
Anxiety at Microsoft: Many Workers (Maybe Over 10,000) Still Don't Know They're Being Laid Off Just Before US Independence Day
"Has anyone gotten the notification yet?"
Microsoft "Declined to Say How Many People Would be Laid Off," According to Associated Press
Some other prominent publications said they reached out for comment from Microsoft and received none
The X War is Over and the "Wayland People" Lost
People will gravitate towards what works for them
20 Years Since My Thesis
It's still online
GNU/Linux is Replacing Windows in Laptops/Desktops
The world will move on while Windows and Microsoft shrink
Now Comes the Expected Webspam, Framing Microsoft Layoffs as "Hey Hi" Success Story (False Marketing That's Piggybacking the Layoffs)
falsely marketed as "intelligence"
Hungary: Microsoft Windows Sinks to 17% "Market Share"
In many nations in Europe it seems like the era of Windows is coming to an end
Microsoft Media Operatives and Bill Epsteingate-Funded Sites Said Microsoft Lays Off 9,000, But Other Sites Say More (Including 2,300 in Redmond Alone)
We might never know the real number/s (Microsoft will keep the cards close to its chest) until there are leakers or unless there are whistleblowers with hard proof
Microsoft Layoffs in Spain, Portugal Record for GNU/Linux
in Portugal we see GNU/Linux at record levels
GNU/Linux Reaches All-Time High in the United States of America
Windows is trending down
Yes, Microsoft is Again Using Its Favourite Liars (Stenographers) to Seed Fake Layoff Numbers, Much Lower Than What's Really Happening
It is Jordan Novet again, just as we predicted
Will Microsoft Once Again Choose Its Favourite Liar to Spread Lies About Today's Layoffs, Quickly to be Replicated and Spread by Slopfarms?
What lies is Microsoft briefing its media moles to tell today?
"OSS Fetishism" Wins After Ferenc Zsolt Szabó Ousted (Microsoft Mole From Capgemini)
Many people said 2025 would be the "year of Linux on the desktop"
There is Nothing That LLMs Can Offer Honest People
LLMs are a passing fad; they're expensive and offer poor "value" for energy; they usually offer no value at all unless you are a cheater, spammer, and liar
What statCounter Shows Today Helps Explain Microsoft's Helplessness, Mass Layoffs
Since many US journalists are already away on holiday almost nobody will dare ask the difficult questions or give a voice to whistleblowers
Microsoft Gets the Chop in South America
The notion of digital sovereignty gained a lot of popularity
Europe Has an 'Exit'
Let's see what happens the rest of this year
El Presidente Talks, Canada Walks (Away From Windows)
GNU/Linux rising
Cities in France and Germany Move to GNU/Linux and statCounter Detects Big Differences
Will governments lead by example?
Microsoft Lost Its Foothold in Africa
How many of these are "old" Windows machines converted to GNU/Linux? Probably a lot.
Led by Europe, GNU/Linux Makes Big Gains This Month
statCounter started showing new/fresh stats
Links 02/07/2025: Massive Microsoft Layoffs About to Commence, "Tesla's Robotaxi Program Is Failing"
Links for the day
Why the Microsoft People Who Started SLAPPs Against Techrights Could Very Well be Sent Back to Prison
White-collar crime is also a crime
The Company Run by Former (and Last Proper) Red Hat CEO, Promoting Microsoft Mono, Faces Shock as Senior Partner Jailed for 33 Sexual Offenses Including Pedophilia
"As reported by The Oxford Mail in April 2025, the offenses include rape, sexual assault, engaging in non-penetrative activity with a child, and more."
Microsoft Lost 29% of Windows Users, Based on Microsoft, Now Come Massive Layoffs
Microsoft collapse is today
Slopwatch: Google Serves to People Linux Slop and Linux FUD (Made by Bots)
"Slopwatch" finds it difficult to ignore Google's role in encouraging LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 01, 2025
"Wayland People" Behave Like the Googles and Microsofts of This World
Published yesterday by Igor Ljubuncic
Gemini Links 02/07/2025: Arch Linux and Fulfillment in Gemini
Links for the day