Each time US Internet security software companies work with overseas companies, they end up risking the potential eventuality of giving away information which could be used against citizens in other nations, or used by country-sponsored cyber attacks on US computer systems. The risk is so great in fact that it is amazing that there isn't more oversight than there already is. Let's take a look at a recent case study involving Symantec and Huawei Technologies in China for a moment.
There was an interesting article in the New York Times recently on March 26, 2011 titled; "Symantec Dissolves a Chinese Alliance," by Nicole Perlroth and John Markoff, which stated;
"Less than four years after Huawei Technologies and Symantec teamed up to develop computer network security products, the joint venture is being dismantled because Symantec feared the alliance with the Chinese company would prevent it from obtaining United States government classified information about cyberthreats."
Anytime a very well market penetrated company such as Symantec gives clues, consults, or works with a foreign company, that foreign corporation now has more insight as to how the software that Symantec deploys protects their customer's computer systems. Therefore, we now have a big problem. You see, the software engineers and computer scientists working for Huawei Technologies, which has been set up much similarly to AT&T, are not stupid people. Many have been trained in the top US Universities in fact.
You see, they already know most all of the tricks of the trade to Internet and computer security, as well as all the neat strategies for encryption, thus, giving them more information, actually has the potential eventuality of rendering all US computer security obsolete. Not to mention the reality that in the end the Chinese will have copied all the intellectual property and the company doing business there will not have gained much anyway, expect for giving away their yesterday's and most likely a good portion of their current technology without any huge financial gain for their troubles.
US companies should be quite alarmed at what is happening, and be prepared to hyperspace any current technology before sharing any of it with China who really doesn't culturally respect what we in the US refer to as proprietary information or intellectual property. Okay so, why did Symantec kill their Chinese alliance so abruptly? Well, why do you think? Further, I ask; are a good number of the attacks on US Computer systems due to perhaps, should I go so far as to say; Unholy Alliance? Time will tell and the truth always comes up, no matter how well encrypted. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Serious Internet Issues. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
