During his speech at BlackHat, Ira Winkler made a few interesting comments that stood out in our minds.
"Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one."
Truer words have never been spoken, and are especially applicable to Winkler and attrition.org staff.
"There is a lot of pettiness and bitterness among professionals and I don't like it."
Don't like it? Yet he is overly guilty of it himself. Continued insults of "monkeys" directed toward many professional security auditors. For years, every article he wrote or talk he gave was full of ego while talking down to the rest of the industry, as if he is some god among penetration testers. That doesn't foster warm huggly feelings. That spawns pettiness and bitterness.
"Be nice to everyone. Like it or not. Give away help for free."
This coming from an ex-ICSA member/representative. ICSA is the body who charges tens of thousands of dollars for them to certify your product to their closed standards among other things. They are the farthest from 'free help' you can possibly be.