[ISN] [infowarrior] - mi2g: Welcome to the FUD Factory

[InfoSec News]

Forwarded from: Richard Forno <rforno at infowarrior.org>

mi2g: Welcome to the FUD Factory
Richard Forno / www.infowarrior.org
#2004-12
Copyright © 2004 by Author. Permission granted to reproduce with credit.

Source URL: http://www.infowarrior.org/articles/2004-12.html

- - - - -
Everyone's favorite FUD Factory -- "security intelligence" company mi2g --
is at it again.

This week, the firm posted a "news alert" sensationally entitled 'The
rise of corporate hate sites - lies, damned lies and extortion'.  
While the topic of "corporate hate sites" is an interesting and even
relevant one for today's day and age, it appears that the true goal of
this mi2g "news alert" was to attack security pundit Rob Rosenberger's
website Vmyths.Com for his analysis and commentary about
security-related companies, including mi2g. (For those unaware, Rob is
one of the few pundits who calls things as he sees them, and, while
refreshing, that sometimes runs contrary to what companies want the
public to know.)

It's pathetic, if not somewhat amusing, to see mi2g stooping to such
desperate levels that it feels obligated to apply the "hate site"
moniker to a website that disagrees with its corporate
views....however, for a firm that thrives on the development,
packaging, marketing, and sales of hysteria, misdirection, selective
analysis, and the continuing propagation of Fear, Uncertainty, and
Doubt (FUD), this is simply business-as-usual.  At least Rosenberger
publicly cites his sources and cross-checks his facts.

For example, one glaring omission in this report is that while mi2g
claims a growth in the number of "corporate hate sites" on the
Internet, its report does not account for the explosive growth of
websites of all sorts during that time (including, quite logically,
"corporate hate sites")  -- meaning that mi2g's scary statistics on
the this allegedly-new "digital risk" are valid only within the vacuum
that they're presented.  Caveat reader!

You can read the report if you like, but I'll save you some time --
according to mi2g, the real enemy in cyberspace isn't hackers, it's
people whose opinions you disagree with.

And that's quite evident when reading mi2g's statement: in its 14
paragraphs, there are 6 dedicated to attacking and attempting to
discredit Rosenberger and Vmyths while implicitly begging the public
for sympathy. Six out of 14.  My proprietary BESPOAKE analysis shows
that to be almost half of the entire document -- with that much
attention, one would think mi2g wants to portray Rosenberger as the
Fourth Horseman of the Internet.

As I wrote back in 2002, let's not forget that mi2g started off as an
e-business enabler focused on operating portal sites (such as
Carlounge.Com and Lawlounge.Com) under the corporate motto "Bringing
The Web To The World." Suddenly, in 1999 with the digital apocalypse
of Y2K looming ahead, the firm morphed into an internet security
company that "by integrating state-of-the-art software engineering
technology with super computing capability is revolutionising the
world of eCommerce and for the first time maximising the return from
the internet whilst minimising the risk."  From cars to cyberterrorism
in only a few short years. PT Barnum would be proud. (Perhaps mi2g's
new corporate motto should be "Bringing FUD to The World One News
Release at a Time.")

Is mi2g so insecure with its public perception that it had to concoct
and sensationally-hype an ominous-sounding "digital risk" in order to
justify its attack on a respected website expressing an opinion and
asking legitimate-but-still-unanswered questions about its services?
You tell me -- but keep in mind this is the same "security
intelligence" company now declaring that the greatest cyber-danger
these days isn't hackers, technical vulnerabilities, exploitable
software, or human complacency but rather independent thinking and
holding companies accountable for their statements and services.

My sources tell me that mi2g soon will announce it has reason to
believe that Saddam Hussein's missing WMD are stockpiled in
Rosenberger's Texas basement because it rained in London today.  
Damn that Rosenberger - is there anything he can't do?

mi2g's statement:
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/021204.php

More info on mi2g and its history:
http://www.infowarrior.org/articles/2002-12.html
http://vmyths.com/resource.cfm?id=64&page=1
http://www.attrition.org/errata/charlatan.html


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