It seems that cryptography actually has many properties in common with snake oil, so it may be 
accurate to say that although cryptography may not actually be snake oil, it is very much like snake oil in some ways. And this observation is not limited to the unconventional techniques that are often labeled as such; it also includes cryptographic technologies that have withstood significant scrutiny by industry experts.
Two factors made it easy for unscrupulous vendors of ineffective snake oil to sell their product to unsuspecting customers: it was difficult for customers to distinguish between effective and ineffective versions of the product and the seller of the snake oil was also the person providing the medical advice to his customers. This situation made it extremely tempting for vendors to cheat, a temptation that many were unable to overcome.
This is very similar to the situation that we still see today. Providers of car repairs and medical services both recommend purchases to their customers as well as provide what is purchased. Even after a purchase, though, it is not always clear that you really needed it. Your car may have continued to operate without a particular repair, or you might have recovered from an illness without the medication that your doctor prescribed for you.
Crypto-snake oil - IT Observer
From around the Web
- Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Latest Release Schedule
- Vista SP2: What is inside?
- NetWitness releases free version of security software
- Three Reasons Why Users Won’t Buy Into Security
- Automated security testing & its limitations
- Google Wants to Preinstall Chrome Browser on PCs
- Mozilla warns of Firefox China add on
- Firefox No Longer an Automatic Defense Against Browser Drive Bys
- Google patches Chrome file stealing bug
- Apple plays catch up, adds anti fraud safeguard to Safari
- Researchers find vulnerability in Windows Vista
- How to Use Network Behavior Analysis Tools
- The insider security threat in IT and financial services
- Windows 7 security: An overall improvement?
- Windows 7 UAC could be less of a nag