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Software Theft a Problem For Actual Thieves, Too
Velcroman1 writes "Pity the criminal mastermind. After all, he's a victim too, reports FoxNews.com. Despite the sophisticated DRM baked into the ZeuS bot to protect it from theft, that's exactly what has happened. 'ZeuS is actually being pirated, so you can get all the versions for free,' said Roel Schouwenberg, senior anti-virus researcher with security software firm Kaspersky Labs. 'They introduced a hardware-based activation process similar to Windows activation, to make sure only one purchased copy of the ZeuS kit — the kit that produces malware — can run on one computer,' said Sergei Shevchenko, senior malware analyst for security software company PC Tools."
Its the worlds smallest violin, playing just for you.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
... you can copy.
As simple as that.
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
a) Sharing duplicates is not theft of the original
b) There are no canons on ships involved.
Know your market!!!
In the words of the famous Nelson Muntz: "HAHA!"
Just provide it as a service and pay per use, then the software does not need to be transferred. On the other hand - i am not sure the other criminals would trust the website. After all if they promise the are 100%malware-free, its exactly not what they want. If the promise is not given, the i would assume they have backdoor in the backdoor.
I think a special Version of Anti-Virus software is needed.....
Join the BSA.
I'm not surprised at all. This tool is for people who have no regard for others' computer hardware, so why should they care about computer software either?
I guess this goes to show that there is none after all.
So I read the headline, then I read the text snippet. Now I'm confused. What about those actual thieves mentioned in the headline? Who are they? The developers of ZeuS? Or the ones "pirating" the bot? Who is stealing what here? Have infected computers illegally changed hands?
Malware authors should switch to a crowd funding or donation model!
When it's about software, it's theft. When it's about music or movies, it's sharing, or - at most - infringement.
Good job at building your credibility, Slashdot.
Knowledge is power; knowledge shared is power lost.
The Vatican called. They want your unauthorized copy of the Canon back.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Isn't this the BEST way to fight this? Rather than try to track down and close the ones making money from malware by putting them in jail (expensive on the public purse), instead take the money out of making malware.
And if it still doesn't kill all malware, then this would also prove the lie about how copyright is necessary or things won't be made any more.
If the author of Zeus published it under the GPL, then this would never have happened!
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
Since we're talking about software that is already outside the law, it's reasonable to assume that the punishments or retribution that the illegal software makers can build in to "protect" their code could also be outside the bounds of acceptability. So while "legal" DRM measures can't do much beyond saying "you're being naughty, please stop" the illegal copies of illegal software could give themselves licence to wreak havoc on the machine that's attempting to run them. Just how far they'd be prepared to go (causing the hardware to catch fire? is that practical?) could be an interesting development for the uninvolved onlooker to track.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
Today's modern criminal needs protection, just as a legitimate franchise like ... Without such protection, all the crook's best ideas would simply be stolen, the entire business would be replicated as a cheaper alternative, and the original business would be destroyed.
Am I hearing Rupert Murdoch's voice here?
The Zeus devs are not 'thieves' because they made Zeus.
It's a different type of crime.
It's like saying that a company that builds a popular and illegal anti-person mines has had its mine blueprints stolen.
A more proper title would have been "DRM doesn't work, even for Cibercriminals".
If you're a pirate, having a few senior executives of the local cathedral on board (whether as hostages or supporters) probably helps more than a few cannon, which wouldn't stand a chance against a missile cruiser.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
lots of articles with faux news as a source here...
No pity for the Million Micro$oft Virus/Bots/etc. because smart people run one of the 452 stable, safe, secure, virus free GNU/Linux distros, or one of the 36 *BSDs! My tolerance for any businesses that run very vulnerable Micro$oft, thus risking customers, is now zero. If forced to deal with them, do cash only, with the 3% discount for cash! Get Linux or BSD! http://linuxmint.com/ http://distrowatch.com/ http://www.bsd.org/ http://linux.org/
I just submitted this to Techdirt, I hope they have fun tearing this story apart. You know they're scraping the bottom of the barrel when they use Malware to justify IP Law.
I do not understand why people present it as big news. Criminals attack other criminals much more often than one might think. Actually, it's a basis of existence of organized crime which parasitises on prostitution, illegal gambling and street drug trade. Violent gangs attack each other more often than civilians (granted, civilians prefer to do what they are told by gangs without proceeding to violent confrontation stage).
It's only natural that criminal software is pirated more often than "normal" software.
The basis for this is obvious: the results of the efforts of criminals are less protected by law, because criminals won't appeal to authorities.
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
ZeuS Genuine Advantage
I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
I thought this would be an article on Microsoft and Apple.
So - Midget - are you the receiver?
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Next month or so we will get a headline of "Thief thief Thief thief thief thief Thief thief", and none of these words will be about actual theft of tangible property.
[Actual thieves] compare [developing malware kits] to Kalashnikov gun manufacturing ('we make the weapon, it’s not up to us how it’s used')
And therefore gun manufacturers are also actual serial killers.
I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of killer sig, which this margin is too narrow to contain.
Huh. I thought that theft implies that someone was deprived of something. In this example, no one is (well, except for profit that only exists in the future of an alternate dimension where the artist/business made more money, of course).
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
I've seen other malware pirated, too. Pro versions of RATs are often cracked to get those couple extra features (the "Lost Door" RAT comes to mind). People who get the cracked versions are usually less likely to use it as well as a buyer would. Buyers know what they're doing, why they're doing it, and how they're going to do it. They want to get their money's worth so there a lot more planning ahead of time and more commitment during the operation.
Android on a phone is useless without paying the relatively huge licensing fee to Google for the Google applications and access to the Google application store.
If that's true, then that's why the Android-based competitors to Apple's iPod touch, made by companies such as Archos, don't have Android Market and other Google applications: only the carriers can afford to subsidize the $300 premium for those. Can you cite a source for how much this fee actually amounts to per handset?
Did you mean "canonical"?
No, because the article isn't about Ubuntu.
Next month or so we will get a headline of "Thief thief Thief thief thief thief Thief thief"
Mushroom mushroom. How do you expect Thief the game to fit into this?
NO NO stop!! Snicker! NO say it ani't true! HAHAHAHHAH Hmmm Crack and Cracked by Windows!!! OMG!! Funny LOL ETC Sorry!!
Hmm. I was thinking "Unsolicited performance" or some junk.
I got confused because where I live, copyright restriction on performance of a work applies only to transmissions to the public and to other performances done "publicly", that is, "at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered" (17 USC 101). So the first order of business for the record industry would be to reverse the case law that (IIRC) blaring a rap song from a car stereo isn't performing the work "publicly". (I'd dig up citations, but Google car stereo copyright public performance isn't turning anything up.)