Almost half of users think virus-writing contests are a good idea
Nearly half of the respondents in a Virus Bulletin poll said they thought that virus-writing contests are a useful way of highlighting issues with anti-virus products - while 12 per cent felt that such contests are nothing but harmless fun.
Last month, the organisers of the annual Defcon hackers' convention announced the Race to Zero contest, to be held at the 16th Defcon conference in August this year. In the contest, participants will be provided with existing virus code, which they are required to modify so that it will not be detected by the available anti-virus scanners.
The reaction to the announcement was one of unanimous disapproval from the anti-virus community at large, making the results of the poll - of more than 1,000 visitors to the Virus Bulletin website - all the more surprising. In total, 46% of respondents said they felt that virus-writing contests are a useful way of highlighting issues with anti-virus products. A mere 35% of respondents expressed disapproval at such activities.
