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BBC Hijacks 22,000 PCs In Botnet Demonstration
An anonymous reader writes "'[The BBC] managed to acquire its own low-value botnet — the name given to a network of hijacked computers — after visiting chatrooms on the internet. The programme did not access any personal information on the infected PCs. If this exercise had been done with criminal intent it would be breaking the law. But our purpose was to demonstrate botnets' collective power when in the hands of criminals.' The BBC performed a controlled DDoS attack, 'then ordered its slave PCs to bombard its target site with requests for access to make it inaccessible.'"
when you can use slashdot!
Don't worry, it was a "low value" botnet... That makes it OK.
But it is all OK because they didn't have any "criminal intent."
I wish I had known that was a valid argument during my little DUI incident.
Live and Learn I guess.
What's a botnet?
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It's an electrically charged net that we use to catch runaway robots. Like the Ethernet we use to catch the EtherBunny.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
the notorious underground computer hacking group self-labeled /. deploys over 30,000 Anonymous Cowards to take down the BBC news website by maliciously posting a link to this news article.
Extreme porn law? They have laws against looking at porn while bungee jumping? That's madness!
The EtherBunny is the one that runs around anaesthetizing kids to commemorate the ressurection of Jesus, right?
"I don't know much about the laws, but it is illegal, isn't it?"
It is legal if you wear a suit-n-tie and work in a corporate office. But if you wear a tee-shirt working from your basement, you're under arrest for unauthorized access.
Well. it is more draconian than american law, not underpinned by a constitution as such, but usually interpreted by a non political group of Judges so that in general it works. recent right wing hastily passed laws on anti terrorism and new fangled computer thingies not withstanding.
It's more like eating a nectarine and marvelling at how juicy and delicious it is, then realising that it's not a nectarine you're eating but a human head !
Squirrel!
I've been using Antivirus 2009 (recently updated from 2008 per recommendations even from all the other anti-virus websites).
Since using it, I haven't had any viruses at all. I really don't understand how people can still get caught out in this day and age where we have such good tools available to us.