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Trojans and Popups and Slimeball Business

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the remember-when-the-net-was-polite dept.

Selanit writes "Salon.com is reporting on a company which exploited a vulnerability in an old but common version of Internet Explorer's Java engine to install spyware on the visitor's machine. " It's a pretty in depth story showing the lack of respect that some companies have. My favorite part is that the guy who denies any knowledge of the trojan popup is named 'Frank Bigott'.

8 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. Ah, the irony by Faust7 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love how the article is titled "The Pop-Up Ad Campaign from Hell"--and you get a pop-up when you first visit it. Also a nice Flash ad delay when you hit Back. Yep.

    --
    The coolest voice ever.
  2. Microsoft, security and Java... by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Funny


    Isn't it odd that the only Java security exploit to be used in the wild is in the VM produced by Microsoft that didn't obey the Java spec.

    Now a cynical person would say that this would enable Microsoft to point at Java and say "Java is insecure" but of course I'm not a cynical person and I'm sure it was purely an accident.

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    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
    1. Re:Microsoft, security and Java... by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Informative
      • Isn't it odd that the only Java security exploit to be used in the wild is in the VM produced by Microsoft that didn't obey the Java spec.

      Yeah, I posted it elsewhere, but it bears repeating that the "Microsoft® virtual machine (Microsoft VM)" is not a Java Virtual Machine (JVM, the old name), and Microsoft are no longer allowed to call it that after being bitchslapped around a few courts by Sun. Let's keep the Microsoft VM and the Sun JRE clear and distinct in our minds.

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      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  3. The line gets thinner by ringbarer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How is this type of cancerware distinguishable from a virus that spreads by exploiting security vunerabilities?

    It seems that all the Klez and Chernobyl kiddies have gone and got themselves some venture capital, and are turning their malware into a business.

    --
    "Why did they cancel my favorite Sci-Fi show? I downloaded ALL the episodes!"
  4. Block Flowgo at SMTP by toupsie · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Flowgo has been a burr in my britches for quite a while. It appears that everyone of my e-mail users gets "newsletters" from Flowgo. About 30% admit to visiting the Flowgo site but swear up and down that they did not request the newsletter. At first, I tried to be nice and contact Flowgo and ask for them to remove my employee from their newsletters (its easier than trying to instruct them to do it). Got back no response. At first I was shocked that Flowgo would not remove them. So after giving them a week, I went into my Postfix configuration and blocked off any e-mail from Flowgo. That was 5 months ago. Still today, I bounce 50 to 100 messages from Flowgo from my mail server. I noticed that several blackhole lists are doing the same now.

    There has to be a solution to this sort of problem. About the only way I could get Flowgo to stop SPAMMING my mail server is to call up a buddy of Tony Soprano to break their knees because Flowgo doesn't care and I have never, ever, ever been able to get one of my elected officials or law enforcement agency to pay any interest in Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail. Its not like Flowgo is hiding its behavior either. It should be easy to get them but no one that matters or has the power, gives a damn about this huge waste of bandwidth.

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    Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
  5. What's scarier by shawnmelliott · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I don't know what's scarier. This article or that a related article at the bottom of this one talks about our "friend" Fritz who wants to "protect" spyware by defining what's sensitive.

    Quote
    The second is "nonsensitive" information, and among that will include your name, address, and records of anything you buy or surf on the Internet. Under the act, business can't collect or divulge the sensitive bits without your express consent, but anything classified as nonsensitive can be freely collected and sold at will.
    End Quote

    The article can be found here

  6. What bothers me... by j-turkey · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What bothers me the most, is that Federal Law Enforcement agencies have been going after individuals who crack corprate machines for years -- and hitting them with hard criminal charges (or in some cases, just throwing them in jail without clear or formal criminal charges).

    Its clear that the federal government is zealous in its crusade to protect corporate America from "hackers". But who protects individuals from shady companies?

    Its also clear that the company behind the trojan popups has engaged in criminal activity...but where the hell is the criminal investigation -- anyone being brought up on charges? At most -- we might see some fiducary damages awarded to someone (but not anyone here -- and not to anybody we know)...but if the feds can throw Kevin in jail -- I want the fuckers responsible for this kind of malicous marketing in jail too...(don't forget spammers either).


    -Turkey

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    -Turkey

  7. Ad-aware by DeadSea · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ad-aware is a Windows program from Lavasoft that will remove spyware from your computer. It is freeware. There is also a plus version available for a fee that will run in the background and prevent spyware from being installed.