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Writing Viruses for Fun and Profit
JMPrice writes "There's a short
article over at zdnet that explores a future synergy between viruses and spam, i.e. international crackdown on spam and open relays makes spammers opt to use infected computers instead as relays, and speculates a relationship between the virus writers and spammers."
...why is this news? Nobody ever thought they were using secured, well-administered machines in the first place for all their UCE needs.
future synergy between viruses and spam
Sounds like something out of Dilbert... time load up the Bullfighter.
Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
Article: "The virus many suspect to be sending spam is called Sobig"
.sig
Random email: "Please see the attached zip file for details."
Should I expect to find "herbal remedies" in this zip file?
Like _I_ can be more sarcastic!
So if virus writers and spammers are the same folks (or even just partners), that makes life so much easier. Only one group of people to have publically drawn and quartered. Saves time and money (and cleanup costs).
--GrouchoMarx
Card-carrying member of the EFF, FSF, and ACLU. Are you?
Technically correct; there can never be a foolproof way to stop a virus. A really dedicated fool will always find a way to infect themselves. Even if the virus emailed itself to them with a message in 78pt Red Blinking Text saying "HI, A AM A VIRUS. I WILL INFECT YOUR COMPUTER AND DO BAD THINGS. CLICK HERE TO INFECT", fools everywhere will click the damn link. Half of them will claim to have done it "To see what it did".
There are millions of infected fools out there right now. How can you foolproof against fools of that magnitude?!
Please note, in order for Outlook 20X6 to operate properly, you must first place this workstation on your DMZ for no less than 15 minutes, in order for it to receive IMAP7NukeViagraHGH.D@MM
This will allow you to have a high speed, reliable, DRM'd Microsoft Email eXPerience! (tm)
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
That would be great. Suppose my market is being threatened by Megasoft's new Office XYZ product that beats the pants off of mine. All I would need to do is send out spams _advertising_ Office XYZ, and the cops would run over and arrest their CEO and put them out of business. Bwahaha!
I think real news here is not that people are writing viri for profit, but that ZDnet is still operating. Seriously, I thought that they went out of business years ago.
1) Write viruses
2) Fun
3) PROFIT!
So I'm a pervert. Welcome to the Internet.
viral marketing! ;)
Obviously, you shouldn't treat a suicide bomber or a person who flies planes into buildings the same way you should treat a spammer. Being staked to a red ant hill under a desert sun would have no real effect on (the remaining itty bitty pieces of) the former.
/. If the government wants us to respect the law, it should set a better example.
Then they'll try to sue the anti-virus companies for blocking their advertising.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
I'm a 13yo kid with some programming experience, you insensitive clod!
But you do have a point. Besides, the difference between Outlook and a virus is that a)corporations make you use it b) you have to pay for it c)it's more widespread d)it does more damage.
Also, most 13yo kids I know hate spam enough not to send any. Not that they have any programming experience