Leaked NSA Malware Threatens Windows Users Around The World? by Sam Biddle.
Really? Shadow Brokers leaking alleged NSA malware “threatens users around the world?”
Hmmm, I would think that the NSA developing Windows malware is what threatens users around the world.
Yes?
Unlike the apparent industry concealment of vulnerabilities, the leaking of NSA malware puts all users on an equal footing with regard to those vulnerabilities.
In a phrase, users are better off for the NSA malware leak than they were before.
They know (or at least it has been alleged) that these leaked vulnerabilities have been patched in supported Microsoft products. By upgrading to those products, they can avoid these particular pieces of NSA malware.
Leaking vulnerabilities enables users to avoid perils themselves, in this case by upgrading, and/or to demand patches from vendors responsible for the vulnerabilities.
Do you see a downside I don’t?
Well, aside from trashing the market for vulnerabilities and gelding security agencies, neither one of which I will lose any sleep over.