Researchers Find Stolen Algorithms in Commercial Cybersecurity Products

guest · Aug 12, 2022

August 11, 2022

LAS VEGAS - BLACK HAT USA 2022 - An analysis conducted by two researchers has revealed that some commercial cybersecurity products rely on algorithms that have been taken from other security tools without authorization.

The results of the research will be presented on Thursday at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas by Tom McGuire, instructor at Johns Hopkins University, and Patrick Wardle, macOS security expert and founder of the Objective-See Foundation, a non-profit that provides free and open source macOS security resources.
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The analysis focused on OverSight, a free tool offered via the Objective-See Foundation. The app enables users to monitor a Mac’s microphone and webcam, and alerts them whenever the mic is activated or the camera is accessed by a process.

The analysis led to the discovery of three security tools — developed by three different companies — that used OverSight algorithms without authorization.
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The companies that used the algorithms without authorization have not been named, but Wardle told SecurityWeek that they were both small and larger companies that had been using the stolen intellectual property for various products, including simple utilities and bigger macOS security products.

The goal of this research was to encourage others to look into these practices and help developers find out if their code has been stolen — the researchers believe this practice is likely more common than we think.

“It doesn't matter if your code is closed-source — if people want to steal it they will,” Wardle said.
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Researchers Find Stolen Algorithms in Commercial Cybersecurity Products

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