Wassenaar weapons pact talks collapse leaving software exploit exports in limbo

Security researchers face continued uncertainty after talks broke down between US negotiators and 40 other countries over the state of exploit exports. The negotiations concern the Wassenaar Arrangement, an arms-control pact in which members agree to limit the export of certain types of weaponry and "dual-use products." …

[Trevor_Pott]

"Known for making deals"

Really? I thought he was known for multiple bankruptcies, not paying his contractors, bigotry and sexual assault.

He makes deals?

[MrDamage]

Re: "Known for making deals"

Da, comrade. He make deal with glorious defender of bared man nipples.

[MiguelC]

Re: "Known for making deals" @ MrDamage

You are Johnny Cowboy and I claim my 5 pounds

[Voland's right hand]

Re: "Known for making deals"

That one too.

He is known for making deals with his name - selling his name as a trademark. These are quite successful. However, they are inseparable from his name so the only way he can comply with the US constitution and not have a vested conflict of interest to a foreign entity is if he renames himself Stump and his children Stumplets.

[amanfromMars 1]

Networks Messing with the Primal Forces of Nature*

So, here we all are proposing a Cyber Wassenaar Arrangement which proves the existence of a state of leading virtual reality. You know what is bound to be following, don’t you. Aliens in your midsts creating Absolutely Fabulous CHAOS with Madness and Mayhem attending to and entertaining opposing forces and competing sources in order to keep them busily occupied doing nothing of significant consequence to hinder Rapid Revolutionary Future Progress …….. Radical Fundamental Systemic Changes.

Or do you deny and would vainly dispute the virtual evidence placed before you of Clouds Hosting Advanced Operating Systems with Earthly masses dancing to their myriad tunes?

To Command and Control/Limit and Contain that very particular and peculiar market will require considerably more than just Advanced Intelligence and Remote Wishes for it is worth Gazillions and can topple nations in a series of instances with flash crashes and expandable zeroday vulnerability exploits …….. Naked Short Stock Cell Sells.

And in the mind of some, and in larger than life beings in Live Operational Virtual Environments, does that makes it and IT with AIMedia Moguls, a perfect business venturing experience to invest and be long in.

* The world is a business, Mr Beale

[phuzz]

Re: Networks Messing with the Primal Forces of Nature*

Dear amanfromMars 1, what's your views on Trump?

[amanfromMars 1]

@phuzz Re: Networks Messing with the Primal Forces of Nature*

Dear amanfromMars 1, what's your views on Trump? .... phuzz

A smart weapon in the right hands to capture hearts and minds and something else completely different and destructive for evil minded status quo establishment application and operations.

And I’m pretty sure media will tell us nothing at all about any of that, unless it is paid and it pays to lead bankrupted systems out of their miseries with new magic future direction for daily presentation of novel working content …… for Advanced Applied Augmented Reality Shows ….. NEUKlearer HyperRadioProActive News Productions.

Surely y’all are not thinking that tomorrows just happen, and are not comprehensively planned to appear for pre programming of the masses? Ye Gods, that would be an ignorant insanity and both directly and indirectly lead to all manner of unchoreographed mayhem and madness.

Is that what you recognise virtually everywhere today? Is that what your mainstream media input to output news is presenting to you as the reality and future programmed picture to live in/to be lived in?

That be undoubtedly Certifiable Madness proven in Deed, indeed, says I, and only the Fool in search of his own kind would accept and follow such Folly.

[Robert Helpmann??]

Re: @phuzz Networks Messing with the Primal Forces of Nature*

There are up- and down-vote buttons, but you, AMFM, deserve your own sideways button. Well played, sir!

[Milton]

Physical vs Digital

It's relatively difficult to smuggle physical weapons around, and happily, the more dangerous they are, then in general the harder to infiltrate. Shifting a vanload of assault rifles is much harder than sneaking a small handgun, but infinitely easier than trucking a nuke. Plus there are lots of methods for detecting dangerous physical items: fluoroscopy, gamma ray scanners, chemical detectors, dogs etc.

None of these things holds true for code. It's barely the work of a minute to encrypt a file as random bytes. Or steganograph it into a photo album or music library. Just post a photo on a public service, even.

So perhaps instead of wasting effort trying slam the stable door, intelligent lawmakers (yeah, I know, stop laughing) should be working on schemes such as regulation of IoT manufacturers do they cannot sell unsecured, vulnerable rubbish?

[amanfromMars 1]

Re: Physical vs Digital

Quite so, Milton. That be both the quantum leap problem and one solution in a nutshell.

And here be another difficulty and opportunity to resolve and ignore at ones peril, for to imagine it as a hypothetical rather than accept it as a present currency, is to invite catastrophe on oneself?

When Absolutely Fabulous CHAOS with Madness and Mayhem is not purchased by the home team and allies for the fortunes it saves and certainly deserves, and billions for lavish spending rather than miserly saving is the most reasonable cost price, is it naturally bound to be offered in foreign fields for delivery of overwhelming benefits in competing market sectors with more common sense and advanced intelligence than money can buy.

[Alistair]

Re: Physical vs Digital

@ aMfM

I'll agree, in the long term, that the objective here is to monetize the situation somehow, but again, the question is still how can they effectively limit the transmission of the product. The military would *love* to have the ability to claim these things as weapons in their stockpiles, and as always they'd play with the value. It is just that the most fertile field from which the harvest can be made is very unlikely to want to be farmed, rather more likely to scatter the results like wild oats.

[amanfromMars 1]

Re: Physical vs Digital @ Alistair

Howdy, Alistair,

Effective limitation of transmission of the product is always going to be the extra expensive add-on which can only be fitted and serviced by OEM. To imagine a third party custom made item/process/program as effective in limitation presupposes an original design which permits foreign tinkering and that would be a spin off root for lessor systems.

With particular and peculiar regard to ....

The military would *love* to have the ability to claim these things as weapons in their stockpiles, and as always they'd play with the value.

.... that ability easily and immediately follows the clearing of the cheque and lodgement of monies due to product suppliers. It is as simple as that.

And I just love the possible reality of the last sentence ...... It is just that the most fertile field from which the harvest can be made is very unlikely to want to be farmed, rather more likely to scatter the results like wild oats. ...... although if it be great for business is the want more probable to be supplied under strict contracted contact terms and conditions to favoured elite customers in their own secured off shored/out sourcing facilities.

[Anonymous Coward]

My laptop...

..is Kali Linux... it's a festering pit of cyber-weaponry.... how would you possibly go anywhere with that... which tool would you fill out the export license for? nmap? metasploit? burpsuite??

[Anonymous Coward]

AMFM - All That Jazz

I'd rather Jack, than...

AC, because (Aperture) S... *<:O)||

PS GJ & Well Played AMfM. :-D