Steve Gibson (computer programmer)

For other people named Steve Gibson see Steve Gibson (disambiguation)

Steve Gibson (b. March 1955) is a computer engineer and journalist based in Laguna Hills, California. Gibson has had a long career in the technology field starting in his teen years. He began in hardware projects but moved more towards software development in the 1980s. Gibson founded Gibson Research Corporation in 1985, and is currently its primary of three employees. Gibson is also a contributing editor to InfoWorld magazine.

Gibson is a graduate from UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) with a 4.0 gpa.

Gibson is an advocate of assembly language programming, and prides himself with writing whole applications exclusively in assembly language, including the SpinRite hard disk utility. He is one of several advocates of optimizing computer programs and reducing the size of their executables.

He has developed and distributed (for free) a number of useful security tools, including the popular ShieldsUp! port-scanning site, and LeakTest. His writings also provide something of a glimpse into the world of hackers and crackers, of which he counts himself one of the former.

In early 2000, Steve Gibson of Gibson Research realized that advertising software had been installed on his system, and he suspected that the software was stealing his personal information. After analyzing the software he determined that they were adware components from the companies Aureate (later Radiate) and Conducent. He eventually rescinded his claim that the ad software collected information without the user's knowledge, but still chastised the ad companies for covertly installing the spyware and making it difficult to remove. As a result of his analysis in 2000, Gibson released the first anti-spyware program, OptOut, and many more software antidotes have appeared since then. Gibson is generally credited with coining the term "spyware".

Since mid-2005, Gibson has appeared regularly on Leo Laporte's technology podcast, This Week in Tech. Since August 18, 2005, Gibson has co-hosted a computer security-focused podcast with Laporte called Security Now!.

Criticisms

Steve Gibson has garnered strong criticism for his writings on computer security which allegedly do no more than spread fear. Many security experts claim that Gibson is not qualified and that many of his claims are untrue or misleading (e.g., NetBIOS security). He has also been accused of shameless self-promotion, and has oft been likened to a snake oil merchant. Many of these criticisms can be found here.

External links

• GRC.com - main page
• ShieldsUp! Port Scanning - free software
• LeakTest - free software
• SpinRite 6.0 - commercial software
• Perfect Passwords: GRC's Ultra High Security Password Generator
• Security Now! - Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte's podcast regarding important issues of personal computer security
• Steve Gibson's resumé

• NetBIOS Fact and Fiction Examining GRC's claims about NetBIOS
• grcsucks.com A site that collects criticisms of GRC.