Hell hath no fury like a hacker scorned. In response to perceived hostility from Microsoft and others to the work of white-hat researchers who disclose security vulnerabilities, a band of hackers has joined forces under the auspices of the Microsoft-Spurned Researcher Collective, a playful jab that apes the acronym of the software giant’s own security unit.
The group is vowing to publish proof-of-concept vulnerabilities — beginning with an exploit in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 — in retaliation for the recent dust-up over the activities of security researchers across the industry. In the process, the new coalition has rekindled the long-running tension between industry members and researchers who defend their independent work for improving security by disclosing flaws so vendors can fix them before the black hats take notice. Datamation takes a look.
A group of hackers says it will begin anonymously releasing proof-of-concept exploit code for Microsoft vulnerabilities in retaliation for the software giant’s recent criticism of third-party security researchers.
And to show how serious its members are, the group — which has taken the name Microsoft-Spurned Researcher Collective, usurping the acronym for Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) own security team — has already released code demonstrating a newly discovered exploit in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
