Slashdot Mirror
What a Botnet Looks Like
Esther Schindler writes "CSO has an annotated, zoomable map of real botnet topologies showing the interconnections between the compromised computers and the command-and-control systems that direct them. The map is based on work by security researcher David Voreland; it has interactive controls so you can zoom in and explore botnets' inner workings. Hackers use botnets for spamming, DDoS attacks and identity theft. One recent example is the Storm botnet, which may have comprised 1 million or more zombie systems at its peak. As with any networking challenge, there are good (resilient) designs and some not-so-good ones. In some cases the topology may be indicative of a particular botnet's purpose, or of a herder on the run."
If Slashdot wanted to stop him from creating multiple accounts from the same IP and posting from the same IP, they would have. Ever think of that? Frankly I'm sick of all the people trying to discredit the useful information he posts because they are hellbent on some crusade to "prove" something they cannot actually prove. When I get mod points these days (15+ points per shot) I WILL mod you troll if you continue to harass him for making informative posts. If you want to point it out when he's trolling himself I don't care, but using this "crusade" to discredit relevant information is absurd. What you are doing is trolling. Period. Granted, you are not trolling an idea, but you are actively trolling a person or group of people who are most likely having fun with you. Instead of posting and losing karma, try using your karma to mark his "troll" accounts down if you feel so vigilant, but don't make this a crusade to hide information because it comes from someone you dislike.
Meta-moderators will determine if you are doing the right thing and you will be rewarded or punished. It's quite a simple and elegant system.
Personally, I think you are getting worked up for nothing special, and someone out there has a freaky sense of humor. Otherwise, why would they create accounts similar to your names and use them for their devious purposes? Have you ever worked with children? If you give them attention for doing something wrong, they will continue to crave that attention. Just leave him/them and he/they will eventually get bored and stop.
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
That said, I think it reprehensible that he uses sockpuppets.
Anyway, I think your post makes a lot of sense, and can be summed up in a few short words: Don't feed the trolls.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Then, the next time I see you posting something I disagree with, I'll jump in with all my sockpuppets and create the illusion of a discussion between many people, most of which happen to agree with me. Then someone else who thinks they're using their moderator points in for a righteous cause will mod you down, and you will lose karma. Eventually you'll lose your posting bonus, and who knows, maybe even descend into negative karma territory.
But you wouldn't mind that at all, would you? As long as I paste a few "informative" links into my comments and repeat the obvious in slightly different ways. Right?
The twitter monologues. Click on my homepage and be amazed.
And this ladies and gentlemen, is the power of sockpuppets. Bad moderation? No problem, just use the mod points on another one of your accounts that you didn't use to post to this article and mod yourself up. Profit!
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.