Greenpeace still hunting for truly green electronics

TECHNOLOGY
- Infrastructure
  - Network
  - Security
    - Virus
    - Intruder
    - Spyware
    - Spam
    - Theft
    - Disaster Recovery
    - Privacy
    - Regulatory Compliance
  - Client
    - Desktop
    - Laptop
    - Laptop - Macbook
    - PDA
  - Server
    - Load Balancing
  - Mobile
  - Operating Systems
    - Windows
    - Windows - Vista
    - Linux
    - Mac
    - Mac - Leopard
    - Unix
    - Other
  - Data Center
  - Virtualization
- Applications
  - SaaS
  - Cloud Computing
  - ERP
  - CRM
  - BI
  - BPM
  - KM
  - SCM
  - RFID
  - Middleware/EAI
  - Portals
    - B-to-B
    - Consumer
  - Inventory Management
  - Databases
  - Document Management
  - E-Business
  - Data Warehouse
- Development
  - Open Source
  - Eclipse
  - Java
  - .NET
  - Agile
  - Web Services
- Architecture
  - SOA
  - Enterprise Architecture
LEADERSHIP

IT DRILLDOWN

NEWSLETTERS

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

RSS Feeds »

LEADERSHIP

CIO Executive Programs

The Leader in Face-to-Face Education for Senior Executives

Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »

CIO Executive Council

A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Social Responsibility's Strategic Benefits

December 15, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Ed Granger-Happ, CIO of Save the Children, for a discussion of how creating an organization that is socially responsible improves staffing, retention, leadership development and overall corporate health.

Working With and Communicating to Your Board of Directors

January 13, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)

CIO panelists who will share tips and experiences working with their boards: Twila Day of SYSCO; Jeff O'Hare, West Corp.; Marc West, formerly with H&R Block.

IT's Role in Growing Mid-Market Companies

January 14, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET (GMT-5)

Mid-market Council members will share their companies' stories and challenges in driving or coping with growth. Panelists represent Veterinary Pet Insurance, Medicis Pharmaceutical, and Intrax Cultural Exchange.

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »

RESOURCE CENTER

buy a link »

SUBSCRIBE TO CIO

Are you involved in setting the direction for your company's IT budget or strategy?

Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!

Subscription Services »

Reprints »

News

After Arrest, Founder of Bug-Selling Company to Stay

Five months after being arrested by Italian authorities on hacking and wiretapping charges, the founder of a controversial company that sells unpatched computer vulnerabilities says he'll remain on board.

Leave a comment

By Robert McMillan

April 11, 2008 — IDG News Service —

Five months after being arrested by Italian authorities on hacking and wiretapping charges, the founder of a controversial company that sells unpatched computer vulnerabilities says he'll remain on board.

Roberto Preatoni was arrested in November for his role in an ongoing scandal at Italy's largest telecommunications company, Telecom Italia, that has been front-page news in Italy for the past year. After remaining out of the public eye since his arrest, he suddenly reappeared Thursday, posting a note to his company's blog and saying that he'd decided to continue to work for the company he founded.

"The questions I kept asking myself in the last months were: What will happen to [WabiSabiLabi] if I will stay?" he wrote."Will my private life and troubles effect negatively the project? Should I keep representing publicly the project?"

After talking to fellow security researchers, he decided to stay.

"I will stay and continue to put pressure to security lobbies. Things must change, researchers and their discoveries should be considered beneficial to the whole security cycle," he wrote.

Preatoni's trouble reportedly started with his previous security consulting work as a penetration tester -- a security expert hired to test working networks for vulnerabilities.

According to news reports, Preatoni helped staff a 10-member "Tiger Team," ostensibly set up to test Telecom Italia's information security system. Members of this team are now charged with hacking and spying on Carla Cico, CEO of Brasil Telecom; Kroll Inc., an investigative agency; and journalists Fausto Carioti and David Giacalone of the newspaper Libero.

In January 2007, four others were charged with spying in connection with the scandal. They included Fabio Ghioni, vice president and security chief technology officer at Telecom Italia, and Giuliano Tavaroli, the telecom's former head of security.

At the time of those arrests, Tiger Team members were charged with using a Trojan Horse program to steal sensitive data from the computer of Vittorio Colao, former CEO of the Rizzoli Corriere della Sera publishing group.

Preatoni's company has been the subject of controversy since it was launched in July 2007. The company sells information on unpatched software bugs using an eBay-style marketplace that is hosted on its Web site.

While the company argued that its vulnerability auction business simply helped researchers establish a fair market value for their work, others in the industry argued that it would put computer users at risk by selling bugs to people who might misuse them in attacks.

Security researchers say that an unpatched software vulnerability can earn them $50,000 in the underground marketplace.