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Crime Wave Thwarted in Second Life
Ponca City, We Love You writes "The Mercury News reports that a vulnerability in the way Second Life protects a user's money has been identified. Risks for users are reportedly limited because the researchers say the flaw can be quickly patched. The flaw exploits a known problem with Apple's QuickTime - when a virtual character passes by an infected object planted by hackers, the Second Life software activates QuickTime so it can play the video or picture. Hackers can direct the Second Life software to a malicious Web site that then allows them to 'take over the user's avatar and force it to hand over its Linden cash. Second Life is recommending that users disable streaming video playback in the Second Life viewer except when you are attending a known and trusted venue.' The hack raises tough questions for operators of virtual worlds. Should they be as secure as banks and guarantee the safety of money and property that characters in the world possess?"
How's this any different from downloading an MP3 of a website or even software? Your analogies show that you've probably played the game for around 15 minutes and never touched it again. Since I have time on my hands I'm going to show you why in ridiculous detail. "Food for your stomach" You can't eat using the features inbuilt into SecondLife, that's stupid. "He's got his shoes right there on his USB stick" Content is stored within the SecondLife service, of course this brings to light a whole new argument of who really owns/controls the 'property' "If somebody cheats..." Cheats? How the fuck do you cheat in SecondLife? That's like saying cheating in Flight Simulator, it's totally free-form gameplay controlled by the Linden Labs T.o.S "There's 3000 dollars in un-collected "GO" money" I'm gathering you mean Lindens, which equates to around US$15, of course I could be wrong you entire scenario from this point onwards is bizarre.
I've never been able to figure out why it's called "Second Life" when most of the people there have no "first life" to speak of.....
"Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." -- Eric Hoffer