Another win for the good guys

Zango is at it again, and again the good guys have prevailed.

You would think that everyone would appreciate how security products protect users from dangerous, annoying or just unwanted attacks and content.  But then again, you might not be a company “allegedly” doing “questionable” things.  And if you were that company, you might just sue a security company working to protect its customers.

We were threatened with a lawsuit by 180Solutions/Zango because of how ZoneAlarm warned our users about some of their technologies. That suit was dropped early last year.  (See more here: http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/pressReleases/2006/pr_1.html).

Now, Zango is suing Kaspersky Labs, our partner for anti-virus detection and removal.  This time, they actually went to court.  And we are delighted to report that Zango lost and Kaspersky won.  (See more here: http://www.net-security.org/virus_news.php?id=857).

Granted, anyone can make a mistake, and security vendors are sometimes guilty of false positives – incorrectly tagging something as dangerous when it isn’t.  But there are also companies that push the boundaries of privacy and security, and someone has to draw a line.  People rely on security vendors to make that call, and we in the security industry must make that call with conviction and not back down in the face of controversy.

This is a victory for everyone who relies on security products to protect them.  Everyone should applaud Kaspersky Labs and encourage all security vendors to show that kind of courage and stand up to threats and lawsuits.  Don’t reduce security warnings just to avoid a lawsuit or discomfort – stand firm and protect!

Congratulations Kaspersky.