Identifying Compromised Websites

linuxwrangler writes "'An infectious disease broke out recently in a number of communities. We'd like to tell which communities they were, just in case you were visiting one at the time, but we can't. It would be bad for business, after all.' Thus begins an interesting column in InfoWorld's Gripe Line in which Ed Foster discusses the astonishing secrecy surrounding the identity of the sites that were compromised by Scob/Download.ject and spreading malicious code to their visitors. As Foster notes, when food-poisoning is traced to a store or restaurant the health-department makes every effort to inform those who may be affected. Shouldn't we demand the same when a business's server poisons our computer?"

Comments

I have the truth

[Anonymous Coward]

The following web sites were infected: http://www.a=20 ]} } } }&..}=3Dr}'}"}[NO CARRIER]

Of course we should demand accountability

[Anonymous Coward]

The question is, what is the most effective way to do so? Legislation? I prefer to keep as much power away from politicians as possible, and since companies have deeper pockets than I do it doesn't often work. Customer protest is effective, but you have to find out who caused the problem. The same with email campaigns.

Posts on Slashdot with links to the offending site might be the most effective because they can take down the infected server directly under the bombardment of thousands of page requests all at once.

If you visit a cheap whorehouse...

[panamahank]

...in Tijuana and don't wear a condom, you deserve what you get. Surfing the Internet with Internet Explorer is no less risky than unprotected sex in a cheap Tijuana whorehouse.