Matousec Now Requiring Completion of an Advert to Download SSTS

Discussion in 'other security issues & news' started by ace55, Jun 12, 2010.

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  1. ace55

    ace55 Registered Member

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    Take a look for yourself. Go to www.matousec.com/projects/security-software-testing-suite/, scroll down, click on Download SSTS, and watch as you are required to complete a survey, providing valid information and a working email address so that you may, presumably, be spammed in the future. I have no idea when this advertisement was implemented. I do recall downloading the SSTS several months ago and not being confronted with this.

    I respect Matousec's work, but I am beginning to believe he should find a new business. He does not seem to care about creating a reputation as a legitimate researcher and seems increasingly preoccupied by his attempts to monetize his work. See the advert, which I consider unacceptable from any legitimate site, and blog.gdatasoftware.com/overview/article/1654-khobe-no-problem.html, detailing Matousec's public disclosure of KHOBE and seeming use of the pressure said public disclosure and associated fear mongering created on security vendors to extort them for access to his research.

    Shame on you, Matousec. :thumbd:

    EDIT: Upon further exploration of the surveys, a mobile phone number is required to complete at least one of them. I would hazard a guess that it is required for the others as well. This is ridiculous. :thumbd:
     

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    Last edited: Jun 12, 2010
  2. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    I know some people have issues with some of Matousec's work, but i've always felt i'd rather see the tests than not, and make up my own mind.

    But those surveys, a different matter :thumbd:
     
  3. snowdrift

    snowdrift Registered Member

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    ~Removed~ him and his putz-site.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 12, 2010
  4. Cudni

    Cudni Global Moderator

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    It was like that from the very first day
     
  5. HAN

    HAN Registered Member

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    Once the word gets out about this, tactics like this could put them out of business. Does this strike anyone else as a form of extortion?
     
  6. andyman35

    andyman35 Registered Member

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    Diet and romance questionnaires for a security site,this Matousec clown gets more ridiculous by the week.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
     
  7. They've already done extortion - publicizing the vulnerability to everyone and the script kiddies, and then charging money for a solution to it, constitutes exactly that. The ethics involved here are highly dubious to say the least.
     
  8. ace55

    ace55 Registered Member

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    Ad is still there. I really don't understand Matousec's logic here. The amount of people actually downloading ssts must be rather low. I would reckon the amount of people reading this thread who now hold a poorer opinion of Matousec has already done much more damage to Matousec's business than any revenue he has generated from this. Of course, it seems for many Matousec's reputation was already just about as low as it could go. In fact, considering his audience, I can't imagine many (any?) would actually complete any of these ads.
     
  9. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    Unless they are short of cash ? it could be a test to see how many people fall for these sort of things, and then publish the results ?

    As we know lots of people get infected by being click happy without researching beforehand :D
     
  10. MikeBCda

    MikeBCda Registered Member

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    I'd commented a while back, in another thread, that I wouldn't be at all surprised to find his site starting to show up in various kinds of security blacklists one of these days.
     
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