Famed hacker creates new ratings system for software

A famed hacker who nearly 20 years ago told Congress he could take down the internet in 30 minutes is now going after the computer software industry, whose standard practices all but guarantee that most products will be vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Peiter Zatko, known in the hacker world as Mudge, was the best-known member of pioneering Boston hacking group the L0pht. More recently, he headed a Defense Department grant program for computer security projects.

Now Zatko and his wife, former National Security Agency mathematician Sarah Zatko, are developing what amounts to a Consumer Reports-style rating system for software.