Google Security Guru goes all evil

Funny, but evil:

Google's open-source program manager has launched an entertaining rant against firms offering mobile security software, accusing them of selling worthless software and of being "charlatans and scammers".

Chris DiBona, Google's open-source programs manager, argues that neither smartphones based on Google's Android nor Apple's iOS need anti-virus protection. Anyone telling you different is a snake-oil salesman, he said.

"Virus companies are playing on your fears to try to sell you BS protection software for Android, RIM, and, iOS," DiBona said on Google+. "They are charlatans and scammers. If you work for a company selling virus protection for Android, RIM or iOS, you should be ashamed of yourself."

Zing!  There's your evil, right there.  Get the popcorn. Honni soit qui mal y pense, Scooter*.

"No major cell phone has a 'virus' problem in the traditional sense that Windows and some Mac machines have seen," he said. "There have been some little things, but they haven't gotten very far due to the user sandboxing models and the nature of the underlying kernels."

And there's some more evil: the shell covering the pea just moved.  Nobody is saying that Android phones have a problem with Windows-style viruses that spread by emailing themselves to other devices.  People are saying that Android has a problem with sneaky malware that installs itself to steal bank account and credit card data, and beam it back to the great Botnet Command and Control systems in the 'net.

You know, little things.  Nice bit of misdirection there, Scooter.

"No Linux desktop has a real virus problem," he added.

Well, yeah.  So everyone jailbreak your Galaxy phone and install Ubuntu.  Cookin' with gas.

Methinks that Scooter doth protest too much.  Must that's just me, and you know how nasty and suspicious I am.

* Full disclosure: while I don't work for a company making malware protection, I have in the past.  Saying that people trying to solve DiBona's security failure should be ashamed of themselves is, well, evil.  Don't be evil, dude.