So we have cyber arms dealers now. I continue to be amazed at the prophecies of ...

digi_owl · on Aug 25, 2016

I think Gibson's explanation is that the future is here, it's just not evenly distributed yet.

Others like Doctorow and Stross has voiced similar views. In Stross' case, he apparently shelved the third part of a trilogy because the NSA was outpacing him.

13of40 · on Aug 25, 2016

Yep, apparently he did:

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/12/psa-why-...

strictnein · on Aug 25, 2016

> "So we have cyber arms dealers now."

Yep. And even middle men who will clear 7 figures taking a 15% fee. A dated article, but it has a "price list" of sorts, which is interesting: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/03/23/shoppin...

imron · on Aug 25, 2016

> So we have cyber arms dealers now.

See https://www.zerodium.com/program.html

Someone who discovers/developers a remote Jailbreak like this can apparently sell it for a cool half-million.

contingencies · on Aug 25, 2016

For iOS, $500k was quoted in HN-featured media recently. However, $750k was quoted on HN in response to a query perhaps two years ago.

imron · on Aug 26, 2016

The same company I linked above issued a $1 million bounty for an iOS remote jailbreak vuln late last year (for a maximum of 3 different winners).

By the time the bounty expired only 1 team had won.

https://www.zerodium.com/ios9.html

So pricing has some fluidity, but you're looking at at least 500k.

meowface · on Aug 25, 2016

There are many private firms in the US doing the exact same thing, and have for years, except they sell exclusively to the US government/NSA. Not sure if it's more or less profitable than being a freelance "cyber arms trafficker".