I remember the days when the major anti-virus companies (back when they called themselves that) actually included links to the informational sections of competitive web sites (especially the threat encyclopaedias). Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the world we live in any more.
Still, we're always pleased when someone we know comments here, even competitors, and even when it's to correct something we got wrong. (Not that that ever happens of course.)
In fact, as researchers, we don't really regard people doing similar jobs as competition: at researcher level, this industry is founded on cooperation, to an extent that most people outside the research community find it hard to believe. Which is why we try to give credit here where it's due, competitor or not, even if it's sometimes only a namecheck, rather than a full-blown URL.
We have noticed, though, that sometimes we get comments from people working for competitive companies trying to slip a plug for their own products onto our blog pages. When it's someone well-known to us, we usually assume it's done tongue-in-cheek, and respond accordingly. Occasionally, we might even go along with it, if we think it's really in the public interest to point to a unique article or service.
Bear in mind, though, that we're likelier to be sympathetic if you don't try to pass yourself off as someone who isn't a competitor. And we won't publish large chunks of another vendor's marketing collateral here. Even if we like your product, or think you're a genuine non-aligned commenter, rather than a competitive sales person in disguise. We may be idealistic, but we're rarely accused of being naive.
You know who you are.
And sometimes, so do we.
David Harley
Director of Malware Intelligence
