If you think ya job sucks

Well, 29th July was a very interesting day in facts for Cisco, at the annual Black HAT conference, one of the speaker from ISS's Mike Lynn, a senior security researcher who had reversed engineered Cisco's IOS code in seeking a possible security exploit had made big discovery that could possibly hurt the internet. Yes, because internet is a series of network connecting each others and many of these interconnect are made by Cisco's routers. So an exploit found on the IOS operating system on the router can be equally damaging as well if all hackers all over the world exploits on the memory heap of the Cisco router to seize control. [Mess with the best, die like the rest ;Hacker] Imagine cyber warfare in 21st century.

Mike Lynn had the support of his management to proceed with the reverse engineering of IOS. Mike decided to bring this to light to the recent Black Hat 2005's audience in the understanding of a possible exploit and work to eliminate the bugs, obviously Cisco did not seemed fit to allow him to educate the mass. Thus in cahoot with ISS, [in facts ISS had sold their employee out for fear of Cisco] hoping to prevent Mike from presenting the article. Feeling morally obligated for the mass to understand the problem than to sweep in under the rug, he coolly tendered his resignation and presented the Cisco's exploit in subtle detail. With immediate effect, Cisco using bully tactic issued court summon on Mike Lynn. Fortunately the case was mitigated having Lynn barring himself from presenting it and retrieve all research documents.

Cisco had done themselve a PR disaster and of course god knew how many security exploits were swept under the rug from ISS if they were to sucumber to big boy's pressure so easily.

Wired did a interview with Mike Lynn, which bring this Cisco PR's disaster onto the surface.