One of the unfortunate parts of a business like ours is when disputes arise from penetration testing engagements, as has happened in Dallas County, Iowa. As we do thousands of tests in a year globally, while rare, they do happen.
In general, a statement of work signed by both parties, scope, rules of engagement, and the "get out of jail free" card for physical hits the mark. Internal client debates about ownership of both digital and physical assets commonly come up, though everyone always hopes they come up before an engagement! These are business to business transactions.
From what has aired publicly about this situation, let's make a positive happen out of Iowa. Let's commit to letting cooler heads prevail for this "misunderstanding," so in the future, everyone can continue to benefit from penetration testing. Most of all, let's not let a "misunderstanding" jeopardize these two testers Mr. Wynn and Mr. DeMercurio's future, with an arrest record and deter the newest generation that aspires to be in this field. No taxpayer or organization wins where things currently stand.
