Release It!

4.6 Attacks of Self-Denial

Self-denial is only occasionally a virtue in people and never in systems. A self-denial attack describes any situation in which the system—or the extended system that includes humans—conspires against itself.

The classic example of a self-denial attack is the email from marketing to a “select group of users” that contains some privileged information or offer. These things replicate faster than the Anna Kournikova Trojan (or the Morris worm if you’re really old-school). Any special offer meant for a group of 10,000 users is guaranteed to attract millions. The community of networked bargain hunters can detect ...