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Click Here To Infect Your PC!

Posted by kdawson on from the proving-a-point dept.

Email me for FREE viruses writes "Just how many people would click an ad saying "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!"? According to the security researcher who ran that very ad on Google for 6 months, 0.16% (409 of 259,723) would click on it. 98% of those people were running Windows. The Google Adwords campaign cost $23 in total, which works out to $0.06 per infection had the site actually been malicious."

26 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. How many slashdotters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then went and clicked on the link in the article? :P

    1. Re:How many slashdotters by Ceriel+Nosforit · · Score: 5, Funny

      You mean amongst the approximately 0.16% who actually RTFA? :o)

      --
      All rites reversed 2010
    2. Re:How many slashdotters by simm1701 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes but I did it from lynx, on a non priveliged account, on an AIX box - I'd like to have see the malware that would target that!!!

      I'm not paranoid!! They are out to get me!!

      --
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    3. Re:How many slashdotters by weighn · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm not paranoid!! They are out to get me!! hmm, there's still scope for narrowing the attack surface. I'll snail-mail you a C64 port of Lynx and follow with a MD5 hash to your next door neighbor 2 weeks later ...
      --
      Mongrel News all the news that fits and froths
    4. Re:How many slashdotters by jstretch78 · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Click Here To Infect Your PC!" == "NAKED NAKED NAKED LADIES FREE BEER"

      Curiosity killed....wait free beer?

    5. Re:How many slashdotters by GuldKalle · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, there is a certain logic to it anyways. Normally when you click a pr0n-link, you get infected with a virus. So if you click a virus-link, you would expect to see porn.

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      What?
    6. Re:How many slashdotters by sticky_charris · · Score: 4, Funny

      Thats why real perverts run linux ;)

    7. Re:How many slashdotters by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2, Funny

      Is this some sort of bizarre form of the Soviet Russia Meme???

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  2. It's hardly a surprise by Xiph · · Score: 4, Funny

    to tech professionals, that users need clue distributed by bat

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    Blah blah sig blah blah blah irony blah blah
    1. Re:It's hardly a surprise by the+unbeliever · · Score: 4, Funny

      Getting rid of most std's is easier than getting rid of some spyware/viruses...

      Consider your average spyware/virus akin to chlamydia or syph, while the really nasty stuff is more like aids/herpes...

      Granted, you can't reformat your body and get rid of it, but if you consider a reformat more along the lines of reincarnation...

  3. Sad... by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 3, Funny

    The sad thing is that using something more enticing like "Free boobs this way" would send millions of clueless Joe Windowses your way... All ripe for the picking.

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    .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    1. Re:Sad... by Architect_sasyr · · Score: 4, Funny

      Which way did you say?

      --
      Me failed English...
      FreeBSD over Linux. If my comments seem odd, this may explain...
    2. Re:Sad... by SkyDude · · Score: 2, Funny

      The sad thing is that using something more enticing like "Free boobs this way" would send millions of clueless Joe Windowses your way... All ripe for the picking.

      And of course, no *nix users would EVER do that.....

      --
      == First cross river, then insult alligator.
    3. Re:Sad... by ZOMFF · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's true. Free porn is a great way to get people to click on things they usually wouldn't click on. While I was in college about 8 years ago, I set up a porn share from my computer that was password protected. I also included a file called GET_PORN_PASSWORD.EXE which popped up a box with the password. The EXE also installed the client stub for Sub7 (a type of back-orafice program). Since Sub7 was fairly new, none of the antivirus software picked up on it. Over the next 24 hours I had pretty much 8,000 machines that I could fully remote, pull data off of, log key strokes, etc (my personal favorite was opening the cdrom drive and playing a "FEED ME" wave file).

      Luckily I was never questioned about the matter and by the time most people caught on, Antivirus definitions were updated to detect the Sub7 stub.

      --
      Launch every sig.
  4. ONLY? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

    0.16%? I'd have guessed far more would click.

    Next time call it "hot chicks with huge tits want to give you some love virus". I predict a /. effect.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Time for a crusade! by mrbluze · · Score: 2, Funny

    Getting rid of most std's is easier than getting rid of some spyware/viruses...

    We need to go on a crusade to teach people how to surf porn safely, such as avoiding using a firewall on a microsoftie, but to make sure you have a hardened system first!

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    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
    1. Re:Time for a crusade! by ronanbear · · Score: 4, Funny

      If you had a hardened system first then porn wouldn't be as useful.

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      the more they over-think the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the pipe
  6. For once I have an excuse... by JetScootr · · Score: 3, Funny

    for not RTFA'ing. Being a true /.er, here's my opinion anyway:
    Microsoft sucks. Users are idiots.

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    Pavlov wouldn't be so famous if he'd used a can opener instead of a bell.
  7. Re:You pay all this money for AV software.. by seven7h · · Score: 5, Funny

    Looks like we have a member of the 0.16% here on /.
    $12.50 x 4 = $50

  8. click_me.exe by voudras · · Score: 4, Funny

    My good friend once joked that 95% of users would double click an icon named "ClickMe.EXE", without much thought at all.

    the other 5 percent would right click and select open.

  9. Badsense by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Funny

    The sad thing is that using something more enticing like "Free boobs this way" would send millions of clueless Joe Windowses your way... I can see the advert now:-

    Free boobies for all!
    Cute booby chicks for your delectation! aff
    en.wikipedia.org
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  10. Wait.... by ZeroSerenity · · Score: 3, Funny

    Was this story really submitted by Gates himself?

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    For those who seek perfection there can be no rest on this side of the grave.
  11. Re:Goatse! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    just the once

  12. My PC is still virus-free? by nickspoon · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm disappointed.

  13. Re:Attempted Infection == Infection by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh no, that's much too complex. I just click on the little blue "E". Works every time.

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  14. Re:Analogy by Monsieur_F · · Score: 2, Funny

    Like the girl who was sweeping and accidentally smashed her hand through a window.


    This is why people should stop using windows!
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