November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Hackers Avoid the Endangered Species List

April 2, 2003
Stephen Whitford ITWeb 
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Computer hackers have narrowly avoided joining the dodo bird and woolly mammoth on the list of extinct species, writes Stephen Whitford in the South African technology Webzine ITWeb. Freelance journalist Richard Clarke helped convince South Africa?s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to pull a Microsoft ad that claims the end is near for computer piracy. The ASA labeled the company?s claim that its new software is immune to both viruses and hackers as both unsubstantiated and misleading. ?Microsoft?s software is littered with vulnerabilities,? says Clarke. He says that the software is full of holes and for Microsoft to say that it is foolproof against hackers gives a false sense of security to the consumer. After the magazine ad was 86?d from print, Microsoft recanted on their claim, stating that the advertisement was just a tongue-in-cheek dramatization about the extinction of hackers. However, MS officials remain adamant that their software is fully capable of keeping both hackers and viruses at bay.
-Nick Garafola

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