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Internet Based Attacks in a Physical World

Posted by Hemos on from the too-bad-it's-not-internet-based-attacks-on-The-Real-World dept.

scubacuda writes "In light of the /. backlash against Spam King, Alan Ralsky, (in which /.ers published his info online--including an overhead shot of his house--and signed him up for junk) Simon Beyers, Aviel Rubin, and David Kormann have written a report entitled Defending Against an Internetbased Attack on the Physical World. Bruce Schneier notes that there's no easy defence against such an attack, largely because companies want to make it easy for consumers to get their promotional information:'Subscribing someone to magazines and signing them up for embarrassing catalogs is an old trick, but it has limitations because it's physically difficult to do it on a large scale. But this attack exploits the automation properties of the Internet, the Web availability of catalog request forms, and the paper world of the post office and catalog mailings. All the pieces (that) are required for the attack to work.' But as Rubin and his colleagues point out, there's a real danger in this ploy, one that few people have likely thought about. 'A scenario could be imagined where an attacker would do this to delay the arrival of an important letter, to wreak havoc on the postal system for political reasons, or even worse, to serve as a diversion for a terrorist act, such as the mailing of a contaminated letter.'"

4 of 290 comments (clear)

  1. CALLING ALL TROLLS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    trolls please do not post mean comments on christdot.org it's supposed to be a family site and don't .widen .pages either thats mean too

    thank you for your time

  2. The Economist by locarecords.com · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    I think The Economist has the easiest and cheapest answer to the problem of spammers. Charge large emailers per send.. the economic disadvantage of sending out wasted emails would then help reduce the number and encourage targetted sending...

    --
    ---- The Open Source Record Label : : LOCARECORDS.COM
  3. What??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I am a new /. user and I have to say I don't understand what all these irrelevant messages are doing here! Maybe it's a culture issue, we only got Internet here in Kazakhstan two months ago and I have found it a very interesting experience! But why all those irrelevant messages? What is this "goatse" thing I have been seeing everywhere? Who is this Trinity and why are you letting her die?

    You guys are fun, lol!

    PS Where can I get the serial number of Windows 95?

  4. Re:Idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Mod this up!