Just so it is clear, since I have been pinged about it this more than once, actually several times, let me set down the simple facts about Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) rumors as I know them…so folks don’t get confused.

1) True: Yes Chris Boyd and I (and I should add our team) were acknowledged on the Google Security Thank You page today, along with some other security guns, for contributions to Google Security in general. I personally thank Google for the kind acknowledgment:

Google Thanks You
People and organizations with an interest in security issues have made a tremendous contribution to the quality of the online experience. We are grateful for the responsible disclosure of security vulnerabilities in our software. On behalf of our millions of users, would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for going out of their way to improve the Google experience for everyone:

* Alex Shipp, Messagelabs
* Bryan Jeffries
* Castlecops
* H D Moore
* Jeremiah Grossman
* Johannes Fahrenkrug
* Martin Straka
* Team Cymru
* Yahoo! Paranoids
* Wayne Porter & Chris Boyd, FaceTime Communications
* Alex Eckelberry, Sunbelt Software
* Richard Forand

2) Jeff Molander, of ThoughtShapers states in his Leak: Google to Re-Org IBM Style post that:

As of yet nobody can confirm with anyone at Google but the leaks are emanating from Google itself according to all three of my sources.

One of my most trusted colleagues, who asked to not be identified, suggested “People love Google planned leaks. My theory is that Google intentionally uses these leaks to gauge industry receptiveness and craft their spin.”

False. (Not the rumor- I don’t know.) It is not I who made this speculation, nor am I any of the other individuals who leaked information of rumors to the Molanderski. Athough if that is Google’s media strategy- it is well done. Others have noted the rumor as well, and Richard MacManus, web 2.0 SME and author of ReadWriteWeb goes as far as to speculate CJ being an aquisition target. I can see the arc of that thought, but I am just not convinced of it since Google tells us in Q2 that partnerships, not acquisitions, would be a big part of their strategy moving ahead. Then again, in the recent Q3 call, click fraud isn’t mentioned even once. As eagle-eyed Sam Harrelson notes. Nor invalid clicks. Nor syndication fraud. It is as if it all vanished. Hmmm, I will have something to say about that- actually I won’t need to say it. At any rate if they were an aquisition target it might be for the CPA DNA of the company. I really scratch my head with Google doing that- thinking scale…CPA doesn’t scale that well.

3) True: I was quoted as saying,

“Google continues to surprise and run interesting feints and parries,” says Revenews.com’s Wayne Porter.

“MTV is already using their engine for video serving, APIs for their Google Maps… which will no doubt spring ads with a nintey day notice… and soon to tap the well of podcasts via their patents. Indeed, YouTube and video advertising are becoming wrapped into one shocking move.”

“As Google turns you can feel the fabric of the media tear beneath your feet,” comments Porter.

You better believe it. GDeath is just around the century. They do amaze me with their ability to innovate and put together seemingly meaningless bits of string into something cohesive.

4) True. I do recommend this text in my reading room ( a new project), I think it is a testament to the firepower of Google: Google Hacking for Penetration Testers by Johnny Long. From finding Xerox printers, photo dumps, cameras, address books, sensitive PDFs…you name it someone may have left it in the wrong place. This text is a must read for everyone interested in information security and honing their research abilities to a razor’s edge. As Obijan says “know your target- get inside of his mind.” Google hacking is sort of the lazy way to do it…or time efficient…depending on how you see it.

Now you know…as much as I do.

Del.icio.us Tags:
Google, Security, Rumor, rumormill, GOOG, porter, wayneporter, CJ, acquisition, media, podcast, adwords, clickfraud, syndication fraud adsense

Popularity: 6% [?]

Share This