Cisco Systems Inc. and a network security firm reached a settlement Thursday with a researcher who quit his job so he could deliver a speech on a serious flaw in Cisco software that routes data over the Internet.
He also must return any proprietary Cisco source code in his possession.
"The purpose of doing this presentation was to prevent a worm from being made," he said.
He also said he decided to defy his employer because Cisco's operating system source code had been stolen and posted on a hacker Web site. Additionally, Lynn said, he has seen discussions of Cisco vulnerabilities posted on Web sites for Chinese hackers.
"Cisco has never told anybody that it was possible to take over one of their routers," Lynn said. "They fought that argument for a long time. You can see how far they're willing to go. I demonstrated it live on stage. That debate is over now."
