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NY Times On Spam Zombies

Posted by Zonk on from the creddiiiiit-caaaaaardssss dept.

A discreetly valorous slashdotter writes "The NY Times is featuring a story about the growing armies of spam zombies. It focuses on New Jersey teen spammer Jasmine Singh. Choice quote: 'Hacking in its purest form is not about compensation or about wrecking a Web site. Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do.'"

125 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. discreetly valorous slashdotter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    "A discreetly valorous slashdotter writes"

    From dictionary.com: valorous - Marked by or possessing great personal bravery; valiant

    From the same: discreetly - Marked by, exercising, or showing prudence and wise self-restraint in speech and behavior; circumspect.

    Meaning an anonymous coward?

    Don't you love sales/marketing speak?

    1. Re:discreetly valorous slashdotter by Nasarius · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Tip: over-explaining the joke makes it not funny. I don't think most of us had to consult a dictionary for that one.

      --
      LOAD "SIG",8,1
    2. Re:discreetly valorous slashdotter by sconeu · · Score: 1

      Not necessarily. Per Falstaff in Henry IV Part 1: "Discretion is the better part of valor".

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    3. Re:discreetly valorous slashdotter by bitflip · · Score: 3, Funny

      Reminded me of a D Adams quote:

      "just as discretion was the better part of valor, so was cowardice the better part of discretion, he valiantly hid himself in a closet"

  2. Is it something against indians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Is it me or something ? Slashdot is featuring more and more stories against/about indians. First the credit card fraud, ibm transfers job overseas, and now this.

    May be we should call this section It is what Indian Technology is.

    1. Re:Is it something against indians by beef+curtains · · Score: 1

      The main thing I was wondering about is, what kind of self-respecting Punjabi would name their son "Jasmine?"

      Wait, check that: replace "Punjabi" with "individual."

      --
      Just once I'd like someone to call me 'Sir' without adding 'You're making a scene.'
    2. Re:Is it something against indians by brjndr · · Score: 1

      I take offense to that. 'Singh' is not exclusively Punjabi. There are A LOT of non-Punjabi Singh, which I didn't even know until I visited India last year. It is a Rajistani name too.

      Dammit, it probably was a Punjabi. He probably got drunk and did it on a dare. It was the Black Label, I SWEAR!!!

    3. Re:Is it something against indians by kilodelta · · Score: 1

      Is the perp Indian or Pakistani? It's kind of hard to tell just by the names.

      At least the affected companies were able to provide damage estimates above $20,000. Below that and the federal agencies rarely get involved.

  3. Let me spoil it for you by suso · · Score: 1

    "Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do.'"

    Alright then, given enough time, you can do anything, so there is no need to try. ;-)

    1. Re:Let me spoil it for you by Acts+of+Attrition · · Score: 1
      "Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do."

      Then go get yourself a job.

  4. Why can't this be stopped ? by zymano · · Score: 1

    ISP's should be held accountable if their users are using windows and using no firewalls.

    If ISP's were to be fined then you would see change.

    But they aren't so who cares, right .

    1. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by Seumas · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If the SBL can shot down an entire group of blocks because of one spammer on one IP, then someone should be able to shut down an entire ISP (say, AOL, Earthlink, etc) if they have just one spam-sending zombie. Period.

      I mean, what's good for one group is good for the other, right?

    2. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by yog · · Score: 2, Insightful

      All responsible ISPs have terms of service agreements that strictly prohibit abusive practices such as phishing, spamming, warez and media trading. They reserve the right to terminate anyone's service who is violating these agreements. Beyond that, it's not reasonable to expect the ISPs to be punished for other people's irresponsible or illegal behavior, any more than the car dealer should be punished for selling a car that is used in a bank robbery or the hunting goods store for selling ammo. You can't have freedom and also place that kind of restriction on third parties. That said, service providers such as Verizon are closing certain ports to reduce this kind of attack.

      The bottom line is that the software is flawed and should be replaced. That's something that is happening over time; Apples and Linux and other OSes are pretty secure now, and Microsoft is really trying to catch up.

      Eventually it will be a lot harder for a 17-year-old to command an army of zombie PCs. In the 1970s, it was incredibly easy to hack into sites via a modem, using easily guessed passwords (guest/guest) because it was such a rare thing even to have a computer and a modem. The teen hackers of that era would be clueless today, just as these punks will be clueless 5-10 years from now.

      --
      it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
    3. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by caskey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think everyone is better off when ISPs stay out of the business of controlling customers based upon the type of traffic they're sending or even worse what type of equipment they have. Consider the following two scenarios:

      SnoopyISP has a 'we can shut you down based upon the traffic you send' policy. After doing so, they could be set upon to offer this service to RIAA, MPAA, etc, etc. After all, they can't say they can't/won't do it.

      SnoopyISP says, "sorry, we don't let anyone who isn't running XP with our approved set of firewall apps running on it.", "But sir, I run linux, no worms here!", "Linux? Isn't that the hacker os? Sorry, we need to be sure that spam zombies don't attack. Therefore you must run UltraFireSoft Anti Hack Pro which we provide for free." "Do they have a Linux version? BSD? OSX? etc?" "Sorry, no, only windows XP. Oh and you need to have their auto-update feature turned on at all times--just to be safe."

      I'll take a net where I can pay for network connectivity and get that, and I can pay for email filtering, and get that. I most certainy and emphatically DO NOT want to create inroads (beyond such that may already exist) into ISPs doing traffic or configuration based filtering/management of customers.

      --
      There's a place called "too far". I can't seem to find it.
    4. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by Eggplant62 · · Score: 1

      so, what's wrong with JoeISP who implements firewall devices into the DSL/cable modem equipment? Seems to be the easiest fix, though it's costly to the ISP, and I can see where only companies like SBC, Comcast, et al would be able to afford it. In the end, though, it will thwart this type of zombie nonsense. I see it everyday. Joe Luser hooks his XP SP1 pc to the internet, wonders why it performs slow and keeps throwing popups in his face, but lives with the problem because he doesn't want to pay the expense of having a pro out to figure out why it's doing what it does.

    5. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by NextGaurd · · Score: 2, Funny

      >>
      Eventually it will be a lot harder for a 17-year-old to command an army of zombie PCs. In the 1970s, it was incredibly easy to hack into sites via a modem, using easily guessed passwords (guest/guest) because it was such a rare thing even to have a computer and a modem. The teen hackers of that era would be clueless today, just as these punks will be clueless 5-10 years from now.

      Are you kidding? They are probably tomorrow's managers. :)

    6. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by halltk1983 · · Score: 1

      Why don't ISP's filter OUTGOING mail too?

      --
      Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
    7. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by Flying+Purple+Wombat · · Score: 1

      In the 1970s, it was incredibly easy to hack into sites via a modem, using easily guessed passwords (guest/guest) because it was such a rare thing even to have a computer and a modem. The teen hackers of that era would be clueless today, just as these punks will be clueless 5-10 years from now.

      Some of those teen hackers from the '70s are today's senior programmers, lead engineers, etc. Yours truly included. No, I never did anything malicous, I only hacked to see what I could do! And sometimes those sk1llz are useful, such as when the only guy who knows the root password on the CVS server goes on vacation to Sri Lanka and is unreachable after a tsunami. (yeah, it's bad when one guy controls a team resource, but I was the hero that day)

      --
      If God had meant for man to see the sunrise, He would have scheduled it later in the day.
    8. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by ciscoguy01 · · Score: 1

      If the SBL can shot down an entire group of blocks because of one spammer on one IP

      I had NO IDEA the SBL was that powerful!

      How do they do that?
      Heh

      --
      .
    9. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      ISP's should be held accountable if their users are using windows and using no firewalls.

      Fine. Just give me the right to enter your house and kick the shit out of you if you're not using a firewall.

      And if you think Linux is so secure, I urge you to subscibe to the SANS newsletter and check out the ratio of new Windows to Linux exploits that appear each week.

      --Your ISP

    10. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by tacocat · · Score: 1

      I think you are a little late on your opinions.

      ComCast is well known for shutting down port 25 for the subnets that they provide for consumer use. This is done as a move to block Spammers from sending directly.

      Now Spammers send through the ComCast ISP mail servers directly. So the ISP response is to limit the number of emails you can send in a period of time.

      These two approach the model of we can shut you down based upon the traffic you send

      Regarding your assumption that ISP's consider Linux to be the Hacker OS I have already experienced first hand a consistent pattern from Time Warner Broadband services that they simply refuse to engage in a conversation with me of any sort once they find out that I am running Linux, a firewall, or anything else short of one of a specified list of Windows OS.

      In conclusion I think it would be a resonable assumption that not only have ISP's started in this direction, but they've been working on it for years. And as long as their user community sheepishly run around telling the ISP's that something must be done and yet refuse to do anything themselves, they guarantee that the ISP's will have no choice but to take more draconian measures, such as you have described, and they will be glad to have it.

      I fully expect the Final Solution to be a variety of Terminals installed in homes with a core server at the ISP and all your data belong to us.

    11. Re:Why can't this be stopped ? by DarkGoddess · · Score: 1

      Being that I work for one of the largest ISPs, I can answer some of this. ISPs can't integrate something into your modem because we/they don't manufacture or design it. That would be up to the vendor companies like Zyxel and Netopia to do. As for content monitoring.. The most an ISP can do is limit outgoing emails in lumps and block ports like 25 and 80. If we started policing everything everyone does, not only would your ISP rates go back up due to the required resources, but the subscriber base would take a dip because they don't like being monitored. If you seriously want to eliminate a lot of this, the way to do it is to report SPAM rather than just blocking it. If you get SPAM from a large ISPs domain, report that to them. The ISP will turn off an account for spamming as it's against the TOS. We turn of hundreds of accounts a week due to this and are the leader in the industry in actually prosecuting spammers. In order to do that they have to be reported though. That's the first step.

  5. Its purest form? by bmomjian · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Hacking in its purest form is showing how you can go to jail. :-)

    1. Re:Its purest form? by ssimontis · · Score: 1

      Its cracking you insensitive clod!

      --
      Scott Simontis
  6. Register? by comzen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Today, a pure form of hacking would be to read the article without actually being a registered user.

    --
    Crunch!
    1. Re:Register? by Charles+W+Griswold · · Score: 1

      Today, a pure form of hacking would be to read the article without actually being a registered user.

      Using BugMeNot makes me a 1337 h4x0r!?! Kewl!!!1!

      </leet>

      :-)

      --
      "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber" -- Plato
  7. From BugMeNot.com by Silverlancer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Username: loser1234
    Password: loser123

    1. Re:From BugMeNot.com by beef+curtains · · Score: 1

      Someone actually modded the previous post "Offtopic" for posting NYT login info?

      What, did a New York Times staffer get mod points or something?

      --
      Just once I'd like someone to call me 'Sir' without adding 'You're making a scene.'
    2. Re:From BugMeNot.com by ekimminau · · Score: 1

      I LOVE YOU MAN!

      --
      Armaments, 2-9-21 And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade' N
    3. Re:From BugMeNot.com by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      I don't have mod points but I became kinda bored of those fake logins posted under every NYT story on Slashdot.

      If you have something against NYT registration, don't read their site. Simple as that.

      This thing will finally lead them to CC verification based free system or a total paid system, believe me.

    4. Re:From BugMeNot.com by scrwvwls · · Score: 1

      Username: loser1234
      Password: loser123
      Durn /. effect. But I'm too lazy to download the bugmenot extension. Can someone provide the link to the .xpi URL plz?

  8. Re:Subscription Shmubscription by justforaday · · Score: 1

    Yup...Sure do...

    --
    I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
  9. Re:Subscription Shmubscription by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    bugmenot.com will give you passwords to use to get around lame registration requirements

  10. Holding systems hostage... by dancpsu · · Score: 3, Informative

    In one recent case, a small British online payment processing company, Protx, was shut down after being bombarded in a zombie attack and warned that problems would continue unless a $10,000 payment was made, the company said. It is not known whether the authorities ever arrested anyone in that case.

    Where would they send the money? This is like a kidnapping scheme. There is far too much involved when you actually want something back from the person you commit the crime against. You would think they would be easier to catch.

    --
    "Scientists don't change their minds, they just die." -- Max Planck
    1. Re:Holding systems hostage... by Beryllium+Sphere(tm) · · Score: 4, Interesting

      >Where would they send the money?

      A Western Union office in Belarus, in one recent case. Once Western Union hands over the cash the transaction is irreversible and the victim's only recourse is local law enforcement. Extortionists can pick whatever country has the most cheaply bribable cops. And sometimes cops will ignore foreigners for free.

    2. Re:Holding systems hostage... by bani · · Score: 1

      Except in that case, the criminals got caught anyway.

    3. Re:Holding systems hostage... by Deadstick · · Score: 1

      Good ol' Western Union -- they used to have an advertising poster in my local supermarket that offered a discount on money transfers to Nigeria. Its background graphic was a blank map of Africa with Nigeria colored in. This was in the Denver area, and there is no unusual concentration of Nigerian immigrants here, so it's not as if people were sending money to the home folks.

      Incidentally, the fine print said that while the transfer fee was discounted, the customer would get less than the going exchange rate...smooth move.

      rj

  11. Re:NYT link by Victor+Tramp · · Score: 1

    don't be silly, http://bugmenot.com/

    --
    US$0.02++
  12. Pure delight by carlos_benj · · Score: 1

    'Hacking in its purest form is not about compensation or about wrecking a Web site. Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do.'

    Oh, good. So she'll be delighted when law enforcement shows her what they can do.....

    --

    --

    As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.

    1. Re:Pure delight by carlos_benj · · Score: 1

      Mea culpa. Didn't realize "Jasmine" was a "he"....

      --

      --

      As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.

    2. Re:Pure delight by aka-ed · · Score: 1

      You also seem to be unaware that it was the prosecutor in the case who expressed this benign view of hacking.

      --
      I survived the Dick Cheney Presidency 7 to 9 AM 7-21-07
  13. the most surprising part of the article to me by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    was how much money there is to be made in selling sports jerseys

    the rest of the article, technology-wise, is boilerplate: it should be obvious to any typical slashdotter what zombie computers are, how they are made, and how they are used

    perhaps what this article should mean to the average slashdotter then is that awareness of zombie computers has moved into popular culture

    that, and that there's a lot of money to be made in sports jerseys

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  14. No Registration! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Would Slashdot please quit posting stories
    that you have to register for to read.

    Thank You.

    1. Re:No Registration! by joeldg · · Score: 1

      not just that, but sites that have you register and then plaster ads on anything..
      then, from what I gather is going on, the ads your mouse hovers over your email gets added to the lists for those advertisers to spam you..

      yay for sites like bugmenot and mailinator.com

      but remember you can always pay for slashdot if you want... maybe that is how you get links without registration required? hrm

      no.. probably get added to the "willing to pay for stuff that is free anyway.." lists.

      bah.. screw the article, not interested in even bothering today

      --
      anime+manga together at last.. in real time.
    2. Re:No Registration! by prjames · · Score: 1

      Who needs registration, we're Slashdotters, just hack your way in. Oops cover blown!

    3. Re:No Registration! by Hugh+Lilly · · Score: 1

      As has been mentioned several times already, you can get a login and pw combo to view the article from here:

      http://bugmenot.com/view.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww. nytimes.com

      There has also been a registration-free link posted:
      http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/technology/24zom bie.html?ei=5090&en=c003ced33d1adfcf&ex=1277265600 &partner=rssuserland&pagewanted=print

    4. Re:No Registration! by Hugh+Lilly · · Score: 1

      Don't want the ads? Click on the "Print" link, or tack "&pagewanted=print" onto the end of the URL. :-)

    5. Re:No Registration! by B11 · · Score: 1

      Why? Its not like anyone on /. bothers to RTFA before getting on their soapbox anyways.

      --
      insert inflammatory anti-microsoft comment here
    6. Re:No Registration! by bill_kress · · Score: 1

      1) Install Firefox
      2) Install "BugMeNot" plug-in
      3) Profit!

  15. hey now by elektroflush · · Score: 1

    And to think, all they wanted was a little J-lo booty.

  16. They should make a movie about this.. by espergreen · · Score: 1

    George A. Romero's Internet of the Dead

  17. That's exactly right... by Omega · · Score: 3, Informative
    'Hacking in its purest form is not about compensation or about wrecking a Web site. Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do.'
    That's it exactly. Hacking is about putting your skills and knowledge to the test. Such as kernel hacking or writing a device driver without any specs.

    Cracking is about breaking into a system. It might require some hacking, but it can also be done by script kiddies.

    1. Re:That's exactly right... by MoogMan · · Score: 1

      I don't believe that Hackers do what we do to prove a point, or to get one up on someone else. We do it to satisfy curiosity.

    2. Re:That's exactly right... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Not to speak for you, but most Hackers I know are always out to prove a point, and espically like to one up each other. In a competitive way.
      "Ha! that took you 27 lines of Code? I can do it in 17"

      Certianly curiosity is a drive as well.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    3. Re:That's exactly right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
      It's not right in any meaningful sense.

      There are a crapload of people who for over 20 years have been using the term "hacker" in conjunction with words like "phreaker," which were the terms used by everyone in the 80s BBS scene. When people like you tell them "the word you've been using for two decades doesn't actually mean that," they will pat you on your cute little head and say "ok, whatever, run along now." Because ya know what? You don't own the word or its meaning. If I start calling my car a puppy and act condescending when people correct me then I'm an asshole, but if I've been using 'hacker' along with a huge community of others to self-identify for over 20 years then that's another story.

      The long and short of it is you don't control the word and it escaped your definition a long time ago. The word spawned another meaning a LONG time ago and although you might not like it you're powerless to make it go away. That's how language works.

      I'm sorry it annoys you, but thems the brakes, kiddo.

    4. Re:That's exactly right... by sconeu · · Score: 1

      You had lines of code? Why back in my day, we had to wire the connections up and then read the connections to see what we had written!

      Darned kids rassum fassum mumble grumble get off of my lawn!

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    5. Re:That's exactly right... by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 1
      Cracking is about breaking into a system
      Only to a small minority of geeks. Everyone knows that geeks like to make up standards and then castigate people who don't follow them. Whether it's about interpreting CSS correctly or placing your braces on the right line geeks just love to bitch and moan about this stuff. And the whole cracker/hacker distinction is just another one of these issues that some minority group has made up so they can bitch and moan every time someone uses the word hacker. The fact is, almost everyone uses the word hacker to mean what you call a cracker. Even on a geek haven like /. there are plenty of people using the word hacker this way. 'Cracker' is the name of a British TV series and hackers break into computer systems.
      --
      Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
    6. Re:That's exactly right... by rpdillon · · Score: 2, Informative
      Eh, I'd say the media drove the "newer" definition, and it is therefore the definition "normal" people buy into. That doesn't mean the old definition is invalid by any means.

      Actually, wikipedia has a pretty damn good entry for the word.

    7. Re:That's exactly right... by the+pickle · · Score: 1

      For a guy who goes on for two paragraphs about the meaning of a word, you'd think you'd have a better grasp on the meaning of the word "brakes."

      p

      --
      In Korea, long hair is for old people!
    8. Re:That's exactly right... by Subrafta · · Score: 1
      Ummm... actually the term "Cracker" has been used by certain ethnic groups for quite some time.

      Martha, I'm dismayed! That strapping young African gentleman implied that I break into computers with malicious intent. Why, I'd never attempt unauthorized access to a computer unless it was for pure, joyful learning!

      --
      Vuja De: That sinking feeling that this is going to happen again. Often occurs in meetings with Product Managers.
    9. Re:That's exactly right... by Vengeance · · Score: 1

      You mean, kinda like the way the young-earth creationists have spent 20 years denigrating the scientific term 'theory'? You're right, it's time for the researchers to give up the word 'theory', which used to mean 'a tested hypothesis', but now means 'a wild-eyed idea perpetrated by liberals and/or darwinists'.

      --
      It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
  18. No typing required option by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.nytimes.com.nyud.net:8090/auth/login?US ERID=loser1234&PASSWORD=loser123&URI=http://www.ny times.com/2005/06/24/technology/24zombie.html

    Uncheck "remember me", press login.

  19. Ok Article.... by thesnarky1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    but I don't think they really got to the real news here. The article doesn't mention how users can protect themselves at all. And it only focuses on the one case, when I think there could have been bigger name cases that would display the same message better. Is this article going to make the average user care at all, not in my opinion. The underlying theme I got from the article is that hackers are these crafty people who are sneaking onto your system, not something you can stop *coughfirewallscough*. Ok, maybe not ever totally stop, but slow down. My windows machine (only for games, I swear) has been clean (cept for Windows) for a month now, behind a hardware firewall (linux Fedora core 3) and a software (Zone Alarm). Just my two cents.

    --Snarky

    --
    Want to find other gamers to play board and role playing game
  20. Re:Attention all c00l haxxors out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I seriously doubt the FBI gives a shit about your box.

    You sound just as childish as the script kiddies who think they can own you if you touch them.

    I also doubt that the kiddies in Russia really give a damn about your petty FBI threats, considering they are untouchable.

  21. So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by CyricZ · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Okay, so this teen treats crackery like it was a sport. To show his or her proverbial "balls", as it were. This would be a prefect opportunity for some older, social-concious geeks to get together and set up a crackery league for these youth. Let them perform their crackery against each other. Each youth could set up a system, and then they would go head-to-head to crack the other youth's system. Indeed, it would be an intellectual junior soccer- or baseball-style league.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    1. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by inKubus · · Score: 1

      There's definitely crack involved somewhere here..

      --
      Cool! Amazing Toys.
    2. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by login: · · Score: 1

      The problem here is that his 'sport' costs other people in stress, time, and money.

      I wonder how he would feel if other people used him to practise their sports. Perhaps some aspiring boxers or martial artists could help him gain perspective of what it's like when other people 'practice' their sport at your expense.

    3. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by EasyT · · Score: 1
      Each youth could set up a system, and then they would go head-to-head to crack the other youth's system.

      A great idea, but I doubt it'll ever catch on. There's little glory in declaring that you've cracked some other kid's system that nobody's ever heard of. But when you can point to a major corporate player that spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on computer securtiy and announce you've cracked their system, that's some bragging rights.

    4. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by CyricZ · · Score: 1

      The problem here is that his 'sport' costs other people in stress, time, and money.

      Indeed. Nobody is disputing that.

      I wonder how he would feel if other people used him to practise their sports. Perhaps some aspiring boxers or martial artists could help him gain perspective of what it's like when other people 'practice' their sport at your expense.

      That's why I'm suggesting that you take two of these youth, and let them perform crackery on each other. If two youths are attempting to crack each other's system, then they are not performing crackery on YOUR system. It focuses their crackery attempts away from essential systems towards another device of crackery owned by some similar youth.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    5. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by CyricZ · · Score: 1

      There's little glory in declaring that you've cracked some other kid's system that nobody's ever heard of.

      There's little glory in knowing that you hit a baseball futher than some other kid that nobody's ever heard of. That's why in youth baseball, like in organized youth crackery, there would have to be some reward or incentive given. There could be national crackery leagues for these youths that could offer prizes far beyond whatever damage they might cause to large corporate systems. A youth who partakes in crackery who might win $20000 in an organized crackery competition may be more inclined to attack his peers than your corporate network.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    6. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by lseltzer · · Score: 1

      What are the various prison sentences for the winners of the tournement?

    7. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by CyricZ · · Score: 1

      There are no prison sentences. Had you not been a complete idiot and instead read the parent post, you would have seen that the youth were performing crackery on each other's computers, and would each be consenting to the other attempting such crackery.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    8. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by mugnyte · · Score: 1

      Whoa. First, abandon that term immediately. "Crackery" hurts my ears.

      If two script kiddies want to one-up each other in a hacking contest, there's many an entry-level point for this. I remember fondly of Corewars and it's ilk, then onto the ACM computing contests, etc. Today, the real world of white-hat hacking is, IMO, the OSS contributors. I am simply wowed each time I stumble through Sourceforge or such and find programming elegance.

      However, you're missing something. The "sport" has to involve a sense of publicity and real-world control. Hence, these trolls needs to act on the internet at large, not in a little sandbox network. This is the concept of having your peers see your handiwork and claiming "dominance" over things by way of a hack. It's a game that teaches you lots of computing tricks but not necessarily a lot of elegance.

      So, your idea is cute, but it already exists: OSS projects are waiting for cool ideas. If someone had real brains for coding, they'd find where their skills could apply and help build the better [system]. But these kids are just out for kicks, and oh, your credit card number.

    9. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by Knetzar · · Score: 1

      Don't give them cash, these are kids. Give them computers, PS2s, xBoxs, their name/handle in blinking scrolling text on a major news website.

    10. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by eweaver · · Score: 1


      Ah, the perfect plan to create legions of future criminals.

    11. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by CyricZ · · Score: 1

      Probably no more than junior baseball makes kids bash people to death with bats, or junior football makes kids kick people in the gonads.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    12. Re:So he/she treats crackery like it were a sport. by tswann01 · · Score: 1

      Each youth could set up a system, and then they would go head-to-head to crack the other youth's system.

      I prefer the roto format to the head-to-head format. Fantasy cracking -- now at yahoo.com!

  22. Hmm.... by tktk · · Score: 1
    I smell a cross-licensing agreement with George A. Romero.

    • Night of the Living Dead
    • Day of the Dead
    • Land of the Dead
    • Spam of the Dead
  23. HOLY FUCK! This "Jasmine" is a boy?! by CyricZ · · Score: 1

    Sonofabitch! I didn't know that this Jasmine was actually a boy. Shit! It's no wonder he has to resort to crackery in order to get his shits and giggles. The real boys playing baseball and football would kick his lily ass just because he has such a pansy name.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  24. Re:maybe its me by grimharvest · · Score: 1

    I'll second that. For a minute there I thought I missed something. WTF does spamming have to do with cracking? He/she thins that spamming is impressive?

  25. A new term is needed: Crackery. by CyricZ · · Score: 1

    A new term is needed, that is somewhat between hacking and cracking.

    Crackery is about putting your skills and knowledge to the test by breaking into a system.


    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    1. Re:A new term is needed: Crackery. by Hugh+Lilly · · Score: 1

      So does this mean the word crockery takes on a new meaning -- perhaps something along the lines of software/hardware used to crack a system?

  26. Yes, it would be like Scouts for geeks. by CyricZ · · Score: 1

    It would in a way be like Scouts for geeks. Instead of learning how to start fires and whittle wood, the older geeks would mentor their scout group in acts of benevolent computer use. They would suggest to the youth the use of programming achievement, rather than crackery, to obtain a sense of self worth. That's more beneficial than locking these youth up in prison.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  27. From TFA... by andreMA · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Officials at the F.B.I. and the Justice Department say their inquiries on the zombie networks are exposing serious vulnerabilities in the Internet that could be exploited more widely by saboteurs to bring down Web sites or online messaging systems.
    Um, no. The vulnerabilities exposed are most often in Microsoft products, which allow the user to be owned. Someone needs to thwap the "Officials at the F.B.I. and the Justice Department" upside the head with a clue by four.
    1. Re:From TFA... by multiplexo · · Score: 1
      Um, no. The vulnerabilities exposed are most often in Microsoft products, which allow the user to be owned. Someone needs to thwap the "Officials at the F.B.I. and the Justice Department" upside the head with a clue by four.

      Unfortunately you can't do that any more. It's now a PATRIOT act violation, plus the TSA no longer allows clue by fours in carry on luggage.

      --
      cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
  28. Good by jpmkm · · Score: 1

    Could this open some eyes and increase interest in alternative (Linux, Mac) offerings?

    1. Re:Good by woot+account · · Score: 1

      No. Especially considering the fact that the article doesn't point out that most of these zombie hosts are caused by vulnerabilites in the design of Windows. People are going to know that, because they think the great OS of the American people is just "dandy!" Furthermore, most people are going to read this and be like "Poor Joe User! All he did was try to download some J-Lo pictures!", while people who already know what they're doing (read: people already knowledgeable about the alternatives) know the PEBKAC. Like I said, no.

      --
      By what name do you wish to be mourned?
    2. Re:Good by suitepotato · · Score: 1

      Could this open some eyes and increase interest in alternative (Linux, Mac) offerings?

      We can add this to the list of /. cliches, I think.

      --
      If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
  29. Never, ever say by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    'crackery' again.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  30. Re:Attention all c00l haxxors out there by eclectro · · Score: 1

    Mess with my box and if I'm feeling generous you'll just have the FBI breathing down your neck for computer trespass.

    Unfortunately the FBI is lame. They won't even talk to you if your loss is less than $5000. And even then it is difficult to get their help.

    I think the problem is partly that hacked systems are so prevalent thet they are unable to keep up with all the requests.

    It's better to make sure that your own system is secure rather than trying to chase down a two bit crook who happens to be in Romania.

    I wish that there was greater international cooperation in this area, but the interests simply are not monied enough.

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  31. Re:maybe its me by Roland+of+Gilead · · Score: 1

    mod parent up (IMHO).

    I couldn't agree more...

  32. I'm not trying to be mean or anything... by caudron · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...but "Jasmine" is a dude? Really?

    I'm sure it's a cultural thing, but seriously, when I was in school (cue old-timey phonograph and creaky rocking chair sound) he'd have been hating life if he had the balls to show up to school with a name like Jasmine!

    The times they are a changin'. (That's a good thing, I think)

    --
    -Tom
    1. Re:I'm not trying to be mean or anything... by gverdouw · · Score: 1

      maybe you should read the article again? :P

  33. I don't buy the car dealer analogy. by NextGaurd · · Score: 1

    This is more like a gun dealer who continues to sell bullets to someone when he knows the previous bullets he sold the guy were used for a robbery.

    That's beyond being a service provider and closer to being an accessory.

  34. A demo by Hal+XP · · Score: 1

    The link was intended as a demo. Register and you become the spam zombie's next victim.

    --
    I'm a sci-fi vegan: I don't want the aliens to think we have as much right to live as the fried chickens we eat.
  35. Re:Attention all c00l haxxors out there by Infernal+Device · · Score: 1

    Would $deity that I had the ability to call down permanent, dolorous and terrible retribution on those who would defile the computer systems of others, because I'd be handing it out like oxygen.

    Unfortunately, all one can do is sigh, restore and begin again.

    --
    "My God...it's full of trolls!"
  36. Re:maybe its me by anitha+cn- · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Probably it's not the spamming they are talking about. Probably it's the fact the spammers are cracking into other computers in order to spam.

  37. MOD PARENT UP by afroborg · · Score: 1

    I've been saying that for years!
    Nice to see that somebody else feels the same way...

    --
    my sig could kick your sig's arse...
  38. I can hack. by DynaSoar · · Score: 1

    "Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do."

    May I please have a spammer and an axe? I'd like to show what I can do.

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  39. Re:NYT link by saur2004 · · Score: 1

    Speeking of which, there used to be passwords like cypherpunk:cypherpunk registered in a whole host of places. I wonder if NYT has one in there.

  40. Quitcher bitchin' by jfengel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm afraid you're kinda screwed on this point. Slashdot is a news aggregator. This story is effectively a dupe of one that came before, but the "news" is that it's the New York Times publishing it, which has a far more important readership than PC World.

    In other words, the news isn't that there are zombies, but that a very important mainstream newspaper is telling people that there are zombies, and lots of 'em. You can't get this story from any other source, because the source is the story.

    And because the New York Times is so important, they get to charge for content. In this case the charge is cheap: you just let them know who you are, so that they can better sell ad space. That's not free, but it's pretty cheap.

    So basically I doubt Slashdot is ever going to "quit posting stories taht you have to register for to read", because that's where the good news is. If you'd like to establish an open source news gathering organization and make it available for free without registration, feel free.

    That's news "gathering" like the Times, not "aggregating", like Slashdot. News gathering is usually considered pretty expensive. You have to have a lot of reporters, and editors. And it takes time to establish the reputation that the Times has. And like software, news depends on trust.

    But hey, news, like software, is free to distribute once it's created, so maybe the open source model will apply. Go for it.

    Alternatively, stop bitching about what people are giving you for free (Slashdot summaries) or cheap (New York Times articles for the price of some trivial and easily lied about demographics). Your choice.

    1. Re:Quitcher bitchin' by rmm4pi8 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't understand why Slashdot, unlike ever other blog in existence, doesn't use the RSS-feed-links to the stories, as these are no-reg.

      --
      U.S. War Crimes blog. Email for free Mandriva support.
  41. Re:Regfree link :) by Hugh+Lilly · · Score: 1

    Do you have a link to the techreview.com page you found that link on?

  42. Re:NYT link by dstewart · · Score: 1

    Or use the New York Times Link Generator and skip the registration altogether.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/technology/24zom bie.html?ex=1277265600&en=c003ced33d1adfcf&ei=5090 &partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

    --
    Not every argument requires reduction to absurdity.
  43. Irregardless, it's not like anyone cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I dunno why people make a big deal out of what you say anyway. Using words the "right" way doesn't make you any smarter. Like when I want to download my pictures to gmail, and someone says "you mean upload." Who cares?

    And when I email people and say ur instead of "you are" or cul8r instead of "see you later" and they give me shit about it.

    1. Re:Irregardless, it's not like anyone cares by TheOtherChimeraTwin · · Score: 4, Funny
      Using words the "right" way doesn't make you any smarter. Like when I want to download my pictures to gmail, and someone says "you mean upload." Who cares?

      Sarflicks! I couldn't agree with you mosby! Why haggleby when the low-rider don't know blatz about the snoozer?

    2. Re:Irregardless, it's not like anyone cares by The_Wilschon · · Score: 2, Informative

      You're quite correct. It doesn't make you any smarter. However, it does have a few positive effects:

      You don't sound like a 15-year old who slept through elementary school English class, which in turn gains the respect of other people, which in turn helps you to do a lot of things, among others, get a job.

      Other people understand what you mean. It is true that in most cases it is fairly trivial to infer the meaning, but there are cases in which both the phrasing which was actually used and the phrasing which was intended form logical, sensible sentences. In this case, the meaning becomes ambiguous.

      In answer to your question "Who cares?", many people do. Your professors, publishers, potential (and current) employers, people you do business with, just to name a few.

      --
      SIGSEGV caught, terminating

      wait... not that kind of sig.
    3. Re:Irregardless, it's not like anyone cares by C_Lo_Fresh · · Score: 1

      You guys are such hoopy froods.

  44. Get over it by taped2thedesk · · Score: 1

    Sorry, nobody is going to bend over backwards to make sure you don't have to log in to view an article.

    You can always search on the subject in Google News and get alternate stories that may or may not be about the same subject.

    You can wait for somebody to copy/paste the text as a comment, or find the workaround for the log-in system for that particular site.

    You can choose not to read the story if you want. If you really want to, ignore the stories that link to reg-required sites.

    Slashdot, please continue posting stories I might be interested in, and I'll decide for myself if I feel like registering or not. Thanks.

  45. Translation by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 1
    "Hacking in its purest form is not about compensation or about wrecking a Web site. Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do."

    Translation: Hacking in its purest form is not about compensation or about wrecking a Web site. Hacking in its pure form is to compensate for being such an empty shell of a person that one must scrape around for any sort of recognition and attention.

    Sorry, kid. Despite your delusions, you just ain't that cool.

    --
    Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
  46. Wouldn't that be discreetly INvalorous? by 3l1za · · Score: 1, Informative

    Since a coward is the opposite of one exhibiting valor.

  47. Crisis scenario? by vaith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Next: NYTimes advises that zombie-spammers can be dealt with by "removing the head or destroying the brain".

  48. +5 Funny by tolkienfan · · Score: 1

    That deserves a bonus.

  49. You'd think NYT by tolkienfan · · Score: 1
    ...would notice when they get Slashdotted with the same user id, from all over the net.

    Wouldn't you?

  50. No Registration .... without taxation? by The_Wilschon · · Score: 1

    something like that anyway... oh, never mind.

    --
    SIGSEGV caught, terminating

    wait... not that kind of sig.
  51. Hackifications by Mulletproof · · Score: 1

    'Hacking in its purest form is not about compensation or about wrecking a Web site. Hacking in its pure form is to show what you can do.'" ...much like the art of breaking an entering a home residence and rifling though the owners belongings. Just to show you can do it.

    Please, stop trying to justify hacking in this manner. It displays mental bankruptsy and severe denial unbecoming of anybody claiming to have half a brain in their skull.

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano
  52. Re:Crisis scenario? -Shaun of the Dead reference by saskboy · · Score: 1

    Those wondering why this is extra funny, need to watch Shaun of the Dead, a horror comedy flick from the UK, and on DVD in North America.

    Would that be the brain of the computer user, or a head of the hard drive?

    --
    Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
  53. Well, if my name was Jasmine by dnakata · · Score: 1

    I'd have something to prove too.

    Jail is cool, though. It gets you respect, with everybody on the outside. After. During, you're just a sad little baby-boy named Jasmine. Okay, not bad enough? You're in there for Computer crime. Here's the kicker, it's a juvinile detention centre, meaning you're in there with testy, immature, and big teens who are twice as likely to lynch you than an adult set would be.

    Rough, huh?

  54. So, poor ISP's can't stop them? by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

    Hi,

    I just woke up, my usual morning with Spamcop at my entertaintment bookmarks.

    (lets hope it pastes right)
    369] pbbrrh@ms18.hinet.net (WÅWÁúê¼Ò©©àSõ;Å?±zÃP@ÓôüuÃÏâ....¥t¦ä¥L£~¥Ø?Ñ¦Ò VTDMVDJDGX VTDMVDJDGX Preview )
    Sat, 25 Jun 2005 11:30:32 +0800 (Blocked xbl.spamhaus.org)
    ___

    Zombies became excuse easily. If you go mad enough and send these spams to embassy of them in your country and they really care, you get reply as "Oh, sorry, those damn windows viruses" from ISP.

    Yep, I made it.

    What kind of a virus is that I really don't know since I report same IP for 2 weeks now :)

    Some clever guys playing "open proxy" trick out there and guess what? They leech slashdot even, I post with open mail on purpose. I tried this spamcop mail with only slashdot for 2 weeks, given nowhere else. I got 3 spams manually sent to spamcop, 2 spams with robots. I even remember mailing to CmdrTaco about it as if slashdot got some "anti harvesting" code, its basically not working.

    Lets paste a usual report of mine:

    1453095243 ( http://www.email104.com/cgi-bin/formmail/formem... ) To: spam@ms1.hinet.net
    1453095241 ( 219.81.150.41 ) To: spamcop@imaphost.com
    1453095234 ( http://home.anet.net.tw/luckluck/homepage/pic/p... ) To: spam@anet.net.tw
    1453095231 ( 219.81.150.41 ) To: spam@anet.net.tw

    That "luckluck" moron page? Its still up. I wonder how much dollars guy pays to ISP to keep page up. Zombie my ass.

    I can understand (try to) China spam being "not seen" by their government, sort of political crap. Mainframe level country filter can't stop spam? heh

    What about Taiwan?

    1. Re:So, poor ISP's can't stop them? by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 1

      I use blackholes.us to score based on country. Anything from China, Taiwan or Russia gets an instant +3 (I have a 5 threshold).

      It's helped a lot in the borderline cases..

      Based on my stats I also give anything from verizon a +2.

    2. Re:So, poor ISP's can't stop them? by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      I use spamcop yearly mail service which is, you know overkill.

      I have all those filters on of course.

      I just wanted to inform non geeks out there that ISP's abuse these 'hopeless, genius mad scientist coded zombies" stories.

  55. ISPs provide internet services by Flamsmark · · Score: 1

    ISPs are not meant to police the web. they shouldn't be responsible for their users' security flaws; for content that users post on unmoderated servers; for blocking spam; or for preventing malicious application from working. what they should be doing is providing internet services; like bandwidth, hosting, and email.

    --
    copyright © 2005 Flamsmsmark the ravings of a melancholly i
  56. The great firewall of china by hadaso · · Score: 1

    Unlike the great wall of china, the great firewall of china is one-way: it stops only incoming traffic...

    China doesn't want spam. So it lets the spam go out...

  57. A Boy Named Jasmine by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 1
    The times they are a changin'. (That's a good thing, I think)

    I don't think so. I'm not sending my kids to any touchy-feely school that doesn't beat the shit out of any boys named, for instance, Jasmine or Sue.

  58. Hacking is B.S. by Magnus2015 · · Score: 1

    "Hacking is about showing what you can do." Yeah, sure it is. That's just whitecollar arrogance; a self-justification of a crime. At least the guys that rob the liquor stores don't come back with, "Man, I just wanted to see how fast I could run!"