Computer Vulnerability + Anthropology
Windows of exposure: towards an anthropology of computer (in)security and its controversies
This is Black Alps 2018 conference in Yverdon-Les-Bains in Switzerland, our first step in the field. Black Alps is “an event enabling to discuss the latest threats, mitigations and advances in cyber security”. For us, it is a privileged site where we can meet cyber security experts from Switzerland and abroad. For them, it is one of the numerous moments to socialize and meet with their peers.
Enquiries related to advocacy initiatives will reveal another “afterlife” of
vulnerabilities analyzing how computer (in)security is mobilized, translated and embedded into ethical and political claims and controversies related to digital rights and governance.
Researching operational forums will lead us to understand how a vulnerability is described, assigned as a risk factor and publicized by entities such as Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) to professionals in IT departments where “patches” and upgrades are implemented according to a strategy, organizational constraints and specifc technical complexities.
Computer vulnerability disclosures can take various forms. They are complex social processes composed of several steps and are highly sensitive in nature. They can lead to legal actions against the security researchers who discovery the vulnerability, compromise the reputation of the vendors who are asked to “patch” their products and of course, they can temporarily increase the vulnerability of computer systems and even compromise the data of millions of users. We are interested in researching the socio-cultural organization and negotiation of these disclosures over the last several years to highlight the socio-technical and ethical dynamics in the computer security arena that includes security researchers, vendors and various intermediaries.