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Tarpits for Microsoft Worms

Posted by michael on from the brer-fox-he-lay-low dept.

Digital_Quartz writes: "Wired News is reporting on a clever little tool by Tom Liston called LaBrea which uses unused IP addresses on a network to create virtual computers for worms and hackers to attack. LaBrea responds to requests in such a way as to keep the connection open forever, creating a "tarpit" in which worms like Code Red will get "stuck"."

4 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. Viruses Preserved... by GreenJeepMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    This way 10,000 years into the future, the viruses will be magically rediscovered in prestine condition.

    1. Re:Viruses Preserved... by Glothar · · Score: 2, Funny

      ... by filling in the gaps of missing code with code from Frogger.

  2. Hackbusters.net by smooc · · Score: 2, Funny

    But they couldnt withstand the biggest hack:

    The /. Effect

    -- site is unreachable

    --
    - In Memoriam: Jeroen de Bruin (1972-2004), bye bro
  3. Re:Pointless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Someone sent me an HTTP request for /scripts/root.exe?/c+dir. Being a nice guy, I'll reply to them with an HTTP request for /scripts/root.exe?/c+shutdown+-s. If their machine chooses to respond to this innocent HTTP request by turning itself off, then that's a problem with the remote computer.

    I always appreciated the thoughtfulness of someone who would turn off my headlights for me, and I do the same for other people. (Then again, I'm from a small town in Canada, where people don't bother to lock their cars.) But believe it or not, when the line between legal and illegal differs from the line between right and wrong, it's not always legality that takes precedent. (Unless you're dealing with some ungrateful ass who would threaten to sue you for breaking into his car even if it saved him a ton of trouble... but again, I'm from a small town in Canada, and we don't have people like that.)