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Microsoft's Vigilante Investigation of Zombies

Morgalyn writes "According to an article at Information Week, Microsoft has decided to fight zombie-launched spam in their own way. In conjunction with the FTC and consumer rights groups, Microsoft set up a clean computer and then infected it. They monitored the 'zombie' over the course of 20 days - 'In those 20 days, this one computer received 5 million connection requests from spammers, and sent 18 million spam messages'. This whole operation has led to the (partial) identification of 13 different spamming groups, some of which reside in the US and may be prosecuted under the CAN-SPAM act."

10 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. Steve Ballmer on Zombies by ponds · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft should just have Steve Ballmer fucking kill them.

    1. Re:Steve Ballmer on Zombies by conJunk · · Score: 5, Funny
      Microsoft should just have Steve Ballmer fucking kill them

      Gives new meaning to "i've burried them before and i'll burry them again" eh?

    2. Re:Steve Ballmer on Zombies by mctk · · Score: 4, Funny
      Why should he have all the fun? I've been training my whole life for this, just let me at 'em.

      :: grabs sawblade with gravity gun ::

      --
      Paul Grosfield - the quicker picker upper.
  2. Microsoft fighting zombies? by MrFlannel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not a moment too soon! With Halloween on Monday and everything, this comes at a perfect time to save my brain. I'll still lock my doors though.

    --
    Clones are people two.
  3. In other words... by shades66 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Microsoft set up a clean computer and then infected it."

    So they switched it on and connected it to the net?

    --
    ---- There are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those that don't
  4. Right. by psbrogna · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ok, raise your hand, who thinks there's more than 1 infected windows machine on the Redmond campus?

  5. Re:Vigilante? by KingSkippus · · Score: 4, Funny
    Since when is setting up a honeypot considered "Vigilante"?

    Since someone wants Microsoft to sound like a tough SOB out to wreak havoc on those who would do us harm.

    Would you go see a movie that is described as "A New York City architect becomes a one-man honeypot after his wife is murdered..."?

  6. Won't work. by pellik · · Score: 5, Funny

    [i]"some of which reside in the US and may be prosecuted under the CAN-SPAM act."[/i]

    Common. We all know the only way to deal with zombies is massive head trauma.

  7. Oracle to the rescue? by jrsp · · Score: 5, Funny

    From article:

    "In those 20 days, this one computer received 5 million connection requests from spammers, and sent 18 million spam messages," said Cranton.

    That amount of data was impossible to analyze, so..."

    So, seems 18 million records is too much for poor little SQL Server, hmm? I bet Oracle could help, or maybe MySQL/PostgreSQL.

  8. I can imagine the costumes! by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 4, Funny

    Costume 1: Guy disguises himself as a zombie and puts on a cardboard monitor. Here instead of "brainssssssss" he should say: "mailssssssssssss"

    Costume 2: A fat guy carrying a chair, with a Google T-Shirt (and the handwritten letters above: "I'll F**ing Kill". Obviously his secondary target would be the guy wearing costume 1.

    Now the following may be off-topic, but what the heck, I got started!

    Costume 3: Just put on a Bill Gates mask, and wear a Microsoft T-Shirt. And instead of "Trick or treat", you say: "End User License Agreement".

    Costume 4: Disguise yourself as a Lawyer and stick the logos of BMG, Sony, Time Warner (did I miss any?) on the back. Instead of "Trick or treat", say "Court or Settlement"

    Costume 5: Disguise yourself as Zombie, but instead of wearing the cardboard monitor, just put an AOL sticker on your shirt. You're an official "AOL user". Instead of moaning "brainssss" you'll say: "Me, tooooo!"

    Costume 6: Disguise yourself as a monitor, and paint the front in blue. :)

    Costume 7: Paint your face black and buy fake jewelry. Pretend you're the relative of a Nigerian prince who just died.