First off, let me say that I thought this presentation was cool as hell - a holistic view of security, showing all the various weaknesses, with cost/value. Very, very well done.
Having said that, I also have to say that there's an underlying attitude that often exists from folks showing off security loopholes that bugs me - "we're just showing all the ways in which this system sucks, so we're really the good guys." Right. And if I walk up to you on the street and stab you in the eye with my pen, I'm just showing you how vulnerable you are by not wearing body armor and a helmet with a face shield.
Sometimes it's a little showy and really more intended to harm than help, yeah.
In this case it's probably more like this:
Government is selling everyone body expensive armour that claims to protect your vitals against BIC pen stabbings, built by contractors who are buddies with those in power. A group of hackers walk around and take pictures of holes on people's armours. They also demonstrate stabbing a dummy wearing said expensive armour.
LOL... Thanks for the improvement on the analogy. From now on this is going to be my mental model for whether or not a "white hat" security guy is making the world better or worse.
Having said that, I also have to say that there's an underlying attitude that often exists from folks showing off security loopholes that bugs me - "we're just showing all the ways in which this system sucks, so we're really the good guys." Right. And if I walk up to you on the street and stab you in the eye with my pen, I'm just showing you how vulnerable you are by not wearing body armor and a helmet with a face shield.