Does Alastair MacGibbon work for an Anti-Virus company, own-shares in an Anti-Virus company, or is he just an idiot?
A prominent cyber-security consultant, Alastair MacGibbon, who is a former director of the AFP’s Australian High Tech Crime Centre and eBay’s former security chief, has called for the proposal to be taken a step further by forcing ISPs to monitor the security of users’ machines and block them from connecting if their browsers, security and operating system software are not up to standard.
Really? REALLY!?
He wants to block people from accessing the internet if they don’t pay ridiculous subscription fees for crippling anti-virus programs. MacGibbon must think we are all chumps.
There is software available, which could be on end-user machines, that would allow my ISP, as I log in, to check that I have my firewall turned on, that I have an antivirus that [it] approves or recommends installed on my computer, and that my operating system and browser are patched. And if those things aren’t met, then [my ISP would not] give me [access]
Only allow me on the Internet if I have an Anti-Virus that my ISP approves? I think Anti-Virus companies would like that alot.
But doesn’t that open up some more problems, like what if my ISP could approve, say, Norton but not Trend Micro because Norton paid the ISP huge kickbacks? And don’t think it’s something that anti-virus companies wouldn’t do.
Alastair MacGibbon, you just made the list.
