Slashdot Mirror
Spam Drops 1/3 After Rustock Botnet Gets Crushed
wiredmikey writes "The Rustock Botnet was sending as many as 13.82 billion spam emails each day before being taken down early this month by an effort headed by Microsoft in cooperation with authorities and the legal system. According to Symantec's March 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report, the Rustock botnet had been responsible for an average of 28.5% of global spam sent from all botnets in March.
Following the takedown, when the Rustock botnet was no longer cranking out spam by the billions, global spam volumes fell by one-third. For reference, toward the end of 2010, Rustock had been responsible for as much as 47.5% of all spam, sending approximately 44.1 billion e-mails per day, according to MessageLabs stats. Since then, Bagle, a botnet that wasn't even on MessageLabs' top ten spam-sending botnets at the end of 2010, has taken over from Rustock as the most active spam-sending botnet this year."
It's really impressive Microsoft was able to do this. They've dropped 33% of the worlds spam and they did it all alone. Microsoft deserves kudos to this. Good job MS!
seriously
The organized criminals who are raking in the money are well protected in their home countries so this is essentially a big game of whack a mole until people better protect their computers (good luck with that).
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
"It's really impressive Microsoft was able to do this. They've dropped 33% of the worlds spam and they did it all alone. Microsoft deserves kudos to this. Good job MS!" - by disopaos (2029158) on Tuesday March 29, @11:46AM (#35653682)
Especially vs. spam that might have contained attachments that were bogus malware in disguise to wreak havoc on you, or, spam that contained links that led to maliciously scripted websites.
APK
P.S.=> I'm for anyone that's out there contributing to the "good fight" against those types of things... apk
This same old "silver bullet" for spam is yet another lame attempt to solve an intractable problem. Here we go...
Your post advocates a:
wait, one third you say??? Holy shit, never mind! Good work!
Information theory is life. The rest is just the KL divergence.
they should take down zbot and similar. spam is just a nuisance, stealing credit card numbers is obviously much bigger problem.
Now I can get my spam-bot service up and running with much less competition in the marketplace. Some penis-enlargement companies just don't want to spread their money around.
> 13.82 billion spam emails each day
astounding
This outcome could have been easily prevented if they had used licensed copies of Windows 7 for their spam net.
FTA (emphasis added):
How do successful lawsuits against the botnet owners prevent the spam from disappearing?
- RG>
Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
ZEUS TRACKER:
https://zeustracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php?filter=online
Add what's in there hostname-domain/subdomain name-wise into your HOSTS file, and zeus can't touch you, because you stop access to ANY of its botnet's servers or enslaved zombies.
(And, when you get IP Addresses in there rather than URL's as 99% of them are, add them in as a new firewall rule that denies access to them (either in your software based firewall OR router)).
APK
P.S.=> It works. It's what I do for myself, family, & friends until ZEUS (& other bots like SpyEye which also has such a tracker of its command & control, dropzone, etc. servers also) is "taken down", which is probably only a matter of time... apk
Went from 4-5 spam messages a day in gmail to just one today. That is awesome.
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
Sure the spam volume dropped, but anyone who thinks this is anything but temporary is either crazy or an idiot. Naturally as soon as one botnet goes down another one ramps up to take its place; this is exactly what the prime motivating factor behind spam - money - will do to the situation.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
Who else stopped reading as soon as it said "According to Symantec"?
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
Amiga OS 5!
"Never heard of it? Precisely!"
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Perhaps by just informing people that their machine may be infected? Perhaps by using another medium like an automated phone call or a note on their bill that says that traffic from their computer conforms to traffic seen by infected computers? Perhaps giving them some stats each month that says: this is how many email were seen to be sent by your Internet connection; hey this is pretty high for a home computer, have you updated your virus scanning?
I do not necessary suggest that they block port 25 or insert means of cutting off users. But the users could be warned/informed of what the network was seeing.
You know what kind of answers you'll get for that one. You deserve all of them.
Here's another twist to it, one that doesn't get mentioned as often, but which would be food for thought for those free software folks who try to imitate Microsoft in every respect (with a registr^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hgconf and all that goodness):
It is in the most genuine interest of Microsoft that users be dumb
Chew on that sentence, taste it slowly. How is it? A tad bitter?
Back in the heroic seventies, one of the aspects of computer ergonomy was that it should encourage the user to learn, providing paths from newbie state to advanced state.
Nowadays all that seems forgotten. Cater to the minimum, and try to keep the users there.
I'm observing the very same trend on Free desktop environments, and that makes me really sad.
Have we lost the battle, after all?
I don't see any NIX Open Source companies doing what MS has to allow a botnet like this one. Has anyone from the NIX or Open Source world needed to stomp out 30% of the world's spam?
Answer the question troll. No spin tactics, just answer it.
I predict ignoring the question, or completely doing anything he can to do some kind of "spin-CON-Troll" tactic.
there are very few non-Microsoft botnet members out there. Think about that. by postbigbang (761081) on Tuesday March 29, @12:04PM (#35653992)
The reason for that is in my subject above.
What Open SORES or NIX has done what MS has here? Answer the question, don't evade it or try "Spin-CON-Troll" tactics. Your douchebaggish trollishness is showing in your reply as well as your low brow and sloping forehead, douche.
So Mr Shill is posting as AC and is getting personal and rather testy? If you don't like the view of /.ers about the security of MS products you have a few options:
A) Go post somewhere else
B) Tell your employer to get their shit together
C) Both A & B
D) All of the above
See subject-line. If anything, it'd let folks know "Houston, we have a problem!". I'd take it a step further & tell them "clean it up or you're cut off until you do" (to stop them from spreading infestors that many spam mails contain as attachments OR from link url's they contain to malscripted sites that infect them instead).
Kudos MS! Now we can expect e-mails about MS Live, Office and other MS products.
Does the ISP need to look far enough into the packet to see that it is SMTP traffic, or even that it is TCP?
It could be an option when you sign up though.
Go green: turn off your refrigerator.
Hope that M$ continues this great venture into closing down the infected pcs or whatever they did to stop the spam, they could help the price of internet to go down if all spam ceased, and the ISPs did not have to spend extra for all that filtering....might give us cheaper internet???
Actually, MS is a highly secure OS. It is the users that are not secure. I have hundred of windows servers and been running them for years on the internet. So have many others. They don't turn into zombies. I have had several PC's, all windows none of them zombies. I have a sister who has to have every toolbar she comes across and any free software that tells her the weather or what ever. She turns a PC into a zombie in usually a weeks time. I have a neighbor, running a mac, little old lady. Found hers to be running as a zombie. Have a niece and a nephew that are constantly downloading torrents and things, all their PC's zombies. The more amazing thing, you can tell them they are zombie and explain it to them, they just don't care.
So you really need to put the blame though where it deserves users. While we are at it, I am hoping all the windows user do go buy macs. I will let you have those users all you want.
It's your turn to do something useful.
I work at a top 20 email provider and can concur that spam levels are down since the November, 2011. We were rejecting 96% at the perimeter back then, today we're rejecting around 73% with the same % making it to the inbox and getting marked as junk. Not a crazy reduction in spam, just a reduction in spam.
fudge that. a home computer shouldn't be sending out email anyways. they should be using a business connection, the isp's mail server, or a web-based service like gmail.
Mine has increased from 1/day to 4/day
10 proofs of where folks here like my posts on HOSTS files and how to use them to secure yourself vs. threats online (as well as speeding yourself up by blocking out adbanners and hardcoding your fav. sites into them):
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907266&cid=34529608
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1930156&cid=34713952
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1913212&cid=34576182
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1930156&cid=34713952
Heck, even 1 today, & in this very thread about this article, that was "modded up" for using a HOSTS file to blockout the worst botnet of all today imo, ZEUS:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2059420&cid=35654066
Here's one from another user that does well using them, rated +3 INFORMATIVE no less also:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122
---
Would you like more (like twice as many more)? I can produce them in seconds...
ANYHOW/ANYWAYS:
In any event - So much for your pitiful attempts @ trolling me, because, as you can see with concrete visible data? You are outnumbered, & badly, 5:1 thusfar... & as-per-my-usual?? Just "too, Too, TOO EASILY", with facts.
APK
P.S.=> See, in a very real way, I actually pity "your kind" online: You & "your kind" (trolls) don't offer anything worthwhile & I suspect that's because you're a miserable "ne'er-do-well", & you KNOW it...
Funny part is, even my nephew, who is 25 yrs. my junior (& CIS RIT senior now) even said to me the other day:
"Around 2004 this all started with the trolls online. It wasn't like that before then. They ruin the internet for the rest of us that used to have valid technical discussions"
I agree... you jerks are as bad as spammers yourselves... apk
This is awesome. Though I'm not sure totally what this means, depending on some factors, it could mean little depending on how fast spam traffic is growing (its in the billions per?)
Messenger spam is another thing I'd love to see eradicated, namely from Yahoo! as it seems to have gotten extremely bad lately and meebo isnt adept to handling it.
I noticed a drop, but it's back up now with messages telling me how my "business" is an award winner and the usual Nigerian-influenced stuff
Are people really that stupid?
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
it seems possible, but giving ISP the right to inspect my data doesn't sound safe to me. The prospect won't be good as they can tamper with my data header and later with the data itself. Once they can make one step onto your data, they'll go further.
EAT YOUR WORDS:
"Microsoft's poor record at building a somewhat secure operating system." - by cpghost (719344) on Tuesday March 29, @12:09PM (#35654070) Homepage
See below... & if you're going to talk? Don't do it out your ass!
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Windows 7: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/27467/?task=advisories
Unpatched 10% (6 of 59 Secunia advisories)
AND, of those 6 vulnerabilities, yes... 3 are "remote". HOWEVER, they're in subsystems (like FAX) that aren't installed "by default" (means I don't use it here), or have work-arounds (mhtml bug), OR, are caused/utilized by faulty 3rd party apps (e.g., & of ALL things? Apple stuff triggers one, ITunes another, iirc, etc. but no other apps are KNOWN to - go figure, eh?).
I.E.-> "NO PROBLEMO!"
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Office 2010: (03/28/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30529/?task=advisories
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft SQL Server 2008: (03/28/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/21744/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.x:
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/17543/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 6 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010:(03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30853/?task=advisories
Unpatched 17% (1 of 6 Secunia advisories)
(The single 1 here also, like Windows 7 above, has an EASY work-around, & thus? Again, "NO PROBLEMO"!)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.x:
(03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/34591/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 0 Secunia advisories)
---
So, that "all said & aside"?
For a "poor track record", MS has practically INVULNERABLE systems out there in their current stuff (& recent lesser versions also)... & NOT JUST THE OS, but the entire "gamut" of what you need to do business online, today (and, as you can see? QUITE safely!)
I.E.-> They're doing a HELL OF A GOOD JOB on the security front!
APK
P.S.=> So, shall we compare a NIX/Open SORES OS in Linux's "latest/greatest"? Lets, & here goes:
---
Vulnerability Report: Linux Kernel 2.6.x (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/2719/?task=advisories
Unpatched 7% (19 of 259 Secunia advisories)
---
LMAO - THAT? That's more than 3x as many as Windows 7 has that are unpatched, & I'd wager there aren't workarounds for them (or as many as MS has shown above)...
Plus?
ROTFLMAO - THAT'S ONLY THE LINUX KERNEL MIND YOU, not the entire 'gamut/array' of what actually comes in a Linux distro that has (such as the attendant GUI, Windows managers, browsers, etc. that ship in distros too that have bugs, and yes, THEY DO) THAT ADDS EVEN MORE BUGS that COMPOUNDS THAT # EVEN MORE!
(It gets even WORSE when you toss on ANDROID (yes, it's a LINUX variant too), because it's being shredded on the security-front lately, unfortunately)
BOTTOM-LINE:
What this all comes down to, is all the "Pro-*NIX propoganda straight outta pravda" practically doesn't stand up very well against concrete, verifia
Its not only Microsoft that participated in this operation. International Secure Systems Lab also associated with this. http://blog.iseclab.org/2011/03/24/the-underground-economy-of-spam-a-botmasters-perspective-of-coordinating-large-scale-spam-campaigns/ And they are continuing further down the road.
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win" - Mahatma Gandhi
APK "FTW":
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2059420&cid=35655470
APK
P.S.=. That was JUST "too, Too, TOO EASY - just '2EZ'"... lol! apk
all unpatched the Linux vulnerabilities you show are marked non-critical by the adversaries where as some of those from windows are marked critical.
I got 12 spam in my Inbox this morning and another 5 in the afternoon. Given past levels, that's a spike in my case.
First of all, you skim:
"all unpatched the Linux vulnerabilities you show are marked non-critical by the adversaries where as some of those from windows are marked critical." - by IRWolfie- (1148617) on Tuesday March 29, @03:01PM (#35656572)
Ahem:
---
1.) You seem to rather "conveniently" omit the fact that is ONLY the Linux kernel - NOT the entirety of a Linux distro (which adds more bugs)
2.) Less is more - and last time I checked? 6 bugs in an OS in its ENTIRETY (Windows 7) is less than 19 in a KERNEL (linux) ONLY!
3.) Toss on ANDROID problems (truckloads of them, in the news nearly every day lately in fact) COMPOUND THAT EVEN MORE... & yes, Android IS a Linux variant!
---
I noted both facts in my 1st post here in fact... care to debate that as well? Stop skimming please!
The funniest part is, Windows has work-arounds for the critical ones (remote are the MOST dangerous) & yes, LINUX HAS A REMOTE ONE UNPATCHED!!!
See here:
---
Linux Kernel ROSE Multiple Vulnerabilities:
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/2719/?task=advisories
---
(I noted that, & again, you "conveniently" omit that fact in your typical "Pro-*NIX" attempts @ what I call "Spin-CON-Troll" trolling on YOUR end).
APK
P.S.=> Above all else? "Less IS truly, MORE" because Windows in its ENTIRE ARRAY/FULL GAMUT of development tools, OS, Office Suite & webbrowser + DB server (all you need to do business in fact) has less bugs than the Linux kernel, alone... apk
Per my subject-line above, take a peek, "drink it in & digest it" folks (especially the "Pro-*NIX" crew around here that for YEARS has been spreading their "Windows is less secure than Linux" b.s.):
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Windows 7: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/27467/?task=advisories
Unpatched 10% (6 of 59 Secunia advisories)
AND, of those 6 vulnerabilities, yes... 3 are "remote". HOWEVER, they're in subsystems (FAX only) that aren't installed "by default", or, they have EASY work-arounds (mhtml bug via MS FixIt Tool, GUI easy too), OR, are caused/utilized by faulty 3rd party apps (e.g., & of ALL things? Apple stuff triggers one, ITunes another, iirc, etc. but no other apps are KNOWN to - go figure, eh?).
I.E.-> "NO PROBLEMO!"
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Office 2010: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30529/?task=advisories
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft SQL Server 2008: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/21744/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.x: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/17543/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 6 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30853/?task=advisories
Unpatched 17% (1 of 6 Secunia advisories)
(The single 1 here also, like Windows 7 above, has an EASY work-around, & thus? Again, "NO PROBLEMO"!)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.x: (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/34591/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 0 Secunia advisories)
---
So, that "all said & aside"?
For a "poor track record", MS has practically INVULNERABLE systems out there in their current stuff (& recent lesser versions also)... & NOT JUST THE OS, but the entire "gamut" of what you need to do business online, today (and, as you can see? QUITE safely!)
I.E.-> They're doing a HELL OF A GOOD JOB on the security front!
APK
P.S.=> So, shall we compare a NIX/Open SORES OS in Linux's "latest/greatest"? Lets, & here goes:
---
Vulnerability Report: Linux Kernel 2.6.x (03/29/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/2719/?task=advisories
Unpatched 7% (19 of 259 Secunia advisories)
---
LMAO - THAT? That's more than 3x as many as Windows 7 has that are unpatched, & I'd wager there aren't workarounds for them (or as many as MS has shown above)...
Plus?
ROTFLMAO - THAT'S ONLY THE LINUX KERNEL MIND YOU, not the entire 'gamut/array' of what actually comes in a Linux distro that has (such as the attendant GUI, Windows managers, browsers, etc. that ship in distros too that have bugs, and yes, THEY DO) THAT ADDS EVEN MORE BUGS that COMPOUNDS THAT # EVEN MORE!
(It gets even WORSE when you toss on ANDROID (yes, it's a LINUX variant too), because it's being shredded on the security-front lately, unfortunately)
BOTTOM-LINE:
What this all comes down to, is all the "Pro-*NIX propoganda straight outta pravda" practically doesn't stand up very well against concrete, verifiable & visible facts now, does it? Nope... apk
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win" - Mahatma Gandhi
So, "that all said & aside"?
---
APK "FTW":
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2059420&cid=35656902
(And, rather EASILY I might add, "as-per-my-usual" vs. the "Pro-*NIX" trolls & their spin-CON-Troll" tactics & gaming the boards engine to bury posts, or troll others off topic when beaten, & other more lame tactics!)
---
Because others reading here and myself certainly don't see the *NIX trolls being able to effectively debate that set of points I put in there, as well as exposing his "convenient skimming"... lol!
LMAO - Instead, he RAN... as *NIX trolls always do, when confronted by facts &/or logic (+ in this case, math even), because they can't defeat truths/facts - their only resorts are:
1.) Down mods that are unjustified
2.) Trolling off topic
3.) Burying posts by ignoring them (hoping others who don't know about the jackass filter here being raised so that AC's like myself's posts aren't seen by others, & that only shows "highly rated posts"!
Which is, bullshit of course - anyone can have MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS HERE to troll others, or unjustly down mod them to bury their posts too (E.G.-
"It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30 2010, @04:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal
FROM -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192
(There's "1 of your own", a much respected one no less, *NIX trolls, telling it how it REALLY is... fake accounts galore, unjustified down mods, trolling & off topic b.s. + more!)
If that's "the best the nix trolls got" around here? It ain't much! Especially vs. facts/truth!
---
Still back on "FTW"?
The "Pro-*NIX Troll" ran, but from his perspective, knowing that IF he replies? It will raise that from being "buried" as it is for most folks since the new "Web 2.0" board engine starts its filter a LOT higher to hide posts, & if he replies, it will expose his and Linux's failure.
(To the owners here: /., you're shameful, burying posts that aren't highly rated... & these jerks around here "game" your boards this way (but, I think you know it, & allow it because of the "Pro-*NIX" slant this site has, a rather lame & imo, crooked one too))...
In the end? There's NO disputing facts... period.
APK
P.S.=> Man, I just GOTTA say it, as I always end up doing vs. the "Pro-NIX" trolls around here:
That was JUST "too, Too, TOO EASY - just '2EZ'"... lol! apk
I've recently discussed with my ISP the sort of thing they could do to identify packets trying to get into my network (lots of extra blinkenlights on the cable modem, occasional access attempts at the router), and their response was basically that it's illegal for them even to tell me the IP addresses in the incoming or outgoing packet headers.
Yup. They may be routing them, but they're not allowed to log them or even to see them on a screen, and they're certainly not allowed to tell me what they are.
I'm not sure they have a basis for saying that it would be illegal, but they certainly don't want to do the simplest of things to tell me what's going on.
My router logs most access attempts (about 90% of which are IPs allocated to a certain semi-communist meganation in the Far East), but I suspect it's not logging everything and the ones it doesn't log are of course the ones I'm most curious about. So I'm still considering escalating the issue until they prove they're forbidden to do enough inspection to block the offending interlopers entirely.
But it suggests to me that if I asked them to watch my link to see if it ever starts botting, that they'd tell me they aren't allowed to, but not why.
So I guess it's time to front a more sophisticated standalone firewall, maybe get a cable-modem (DOCSIS) analyzer, though that is unlikely to be cheap, unless I can hack up a modem... hmm...
Seems I've seen this story before...'bout once every couple months, on Slashdot, If I'm not mistaken:
http://slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=botnet
Rather like whack-a-mole, no?
The delivery mechanism for all this spam wouldn't exist if it weren't for Microsoft's poor record at building a somewhat secure operating system.
Bullshit.
In the past six years, the number of Linux servers I've seen spewing out spam is LEGION.
Stop using fucking sendmail; learn to fucking write decent PHP, and update your fucking content management systems before ye be judged yourselves.
>Since then, Bagle, a botnet that wasn't even on MessageLabs' top ten spam-sending botnets at the end of 2010, has taken over from Rustock as the most active spam-sending botnet this year."
Yeah, and guess what?
Bagle runs spectacularly under Wine. As in, it behaves itself quite nicely and you don't notice it until you receive mail in your mailbox that is coming from yourself.
Bagle is truly cross-platform malware.
All it needs to do is attach itself to Gnome's or KDE's startup folder or .bashrc or .login.
Any of these will do the trick, and if you've got Wine installed, your machine instantly becomes a botnet slave.
--
BMO
You don't need to do any packet inspection. A blackhole server, a tarpit, or just the logs on your own mailserver would be enough to identify customers that have a botnet problem.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
The spam-hose has abruptly gone limp. The flow petered out from one spam every 4 seconds to one every 30 minutes. My spam dropped from 226000 in the past month to about a dozen per day since these dicks were cut off. I'm impressed and grateful for the 99.8% improvement.
You're pitiful, and now I know who the AC troll is that's been stalking me here for MONTHS now!
(It's YOU, with your own words quoted telling others to do so with you here http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1646272&cid=32150544 as my proof thereof!)
APK
P.S.=> You only brought this on yourself - & despite your hiding or trying to as an AC poster? You're busted, lol ... apk
I've definitely noticed that porn loads faster now that the spam is gone.
You make no sense, it's really hard to understand what the heck you're trying to say, but I'll give it a try:
because your 10 yr. old research? It's ANCIENT... today is TODAY,
You must be really young if you think the world changes that quickly. Technical details do. Basic principles don't.
Same with MacOS X once it was more utilized - it became more of a "prime target" because more folks use it now...
That argument has been debunked hundreds of times, get a new one. If prominence were the deciding factor, then all the Linux/Apache webservers would all be rooted while the more obscure windows/IIS servers would all be save. Funny thing is, we don't see that in the real world.
[Android rambling]
I fail to see the relevance of that. This is a discussion about spam, and so far Android systems aren't known as a major source of spam. So either you have data that nobody else has, or you're just dragging in a point that has no relation to the argument for what reason, exactly?
NOBODY USES THEM by comparison to Windows
Yeah, right. That was 10 years ago, today is today and OS X has a market share of 15% in many places of the world, that is considerably more than nobody. Even if you assume a power law, you'd expect about 4% of the botnets to be OS X botnets. Hm, strangely, they aren't.
& malware makers target the SINGLE largest body of users there is
The real world is not instanced. For years, malware has fought over control of rooted PCs, various malware kicking the competition out, etc. - you'd think at least one of them would branch out to a system with less competition. Just one. Strange, doesn't happen. Why? Economics.
why would Apple put out a security hardening guide on their website,
I have no idea what kind of thought processes you have, but they appear confused at the very least. There are similar hardening guides for all variants of windows right on the Microsoft website as well, so your point is what, exactly?
Sorry to say it this honestly, but if there is any point in your drivel that could've been worth my time then it is well hidden in the ghastly grammar and structure.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Well to be fair, probably like 90% of those are pirated versions of Windows XP and as such never got any security updates. Not sure MS is responsible for large number of people around the world ripping off their software and not paying for it...
Just sayin'
Don't worry MS is still evil. Just that these botnets are predominately made up of pirated software to begin with.
1st: Where's your ALLEGED "research data" then? See subject-line, because it's nearly EXACTLY what you asked for & I provided it.
NO, seems all you have is "the oldest 'troll trick' in the world (off topic english critiques along w/ ad hominem attacks, so where's your PHD in English, expert? Fantasyland, along with your 'research'?)
"You make no sense, it's really hard to understand what the heck you're trying to say"by Tom (822) on Wednesday March 30, @07:00AM (#35664726) Homepage
See above, & "your honor, I rest my case", lol... you make it EASY for me on THAT account, w/ your off topic b.s. english writing critique (is there such a section of this forums? No)...
Additionally, it also seems you read my points FINE, despite your transparent off topic 'critiques' of my writing style (of which this forums has no such section, nor is this topic about that mind you) & replied, fine, on YOUR end to my points (though I blow you away on each of your replies here, easily, lol!)
Sso it shows that's just another "troll trick" (lol, won't work on me - I've been trolled by the BEST of them, & won everytime... how? FACTS my boy, facts! The thing that blows trolls doors off everytime!)
---
"I fail to see the relevance of that. This is a discussion about spam, and so far Android systems aren't known as a major source of spam." - by Tom (822) on Wednesday March 30, @07:00AM (#35664726) Homepage
They're a LINUX, Tom... & proof of a "portent of things to come" for Linux, on "things security"...
(Especially about the b.s. I have seen, for YEARS here no less, of "LINUX IS MORE SECURE THAN WINDOWS"... funny, but the data I show is showing QUITE otherwise, easily (& so does ANDROID)).
---
"Yeah, right. That was 10 years ago, today is today and OS X has a market share of 15% in many places of the world, that is considerably more than nobody." - by Tom (822) on Wednesday March 30, @07:00AM (#35664726) Homepage
Aha, KNEW IT: You "fell for my trap", & yes, "jedi mind tricks" do WORK ON YOU
See, by way of comparison, especially compared to Windows "share-of-market"? They are so LOW on the totem poll, it's not even funny!
Hell, MS is SO FAR AHEAD in 1st place, there practically isn't a 2nd place winner... lol!
Still, considering that Apple put out B.S. loaded commercials that stated in essence & iirc, literally even, that "Windows is less secure than a PC" here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdF5IsyOxU4
AND THEIR HOMEPAGE SAID "no viruses" too here:
http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090303015013/http://www.apple.com/getamac/whymac/
?
Please... malware IS malware!
(& yes, MacOS X has seen its share, despite the "marketing-droidz" b.s. shown above).
(Fact is, I can show SLEWS of it happening, just ask... I will provide it, unlike YOU, though you demanded proof of others... you got it, see my 1st post you replied to and "Read 'em & WEEP")
HOWEVER, here is where you HELP my case:
As you say in fact, when MacOS X's market-share/user mind-share went up... (makes sense - as malware makers/hackers-cracker are like pickpockets!)
E.G.-> Like pickpockets, the hacker/cracker crowd ARE criminal largely, & they do NOT operate on "crowds of 1" only, they target LARGE crowds (like Windows has), in order to "maximize their ROI" on efforts expended in code. Think about it like a shotgun - you target the largest body you can, not just 1 bird when you hunt for birds!
---
"I have no idea what kind of thought processes you have, but they appear confused at the very least." - by Tom (822) on Wednesda
Glad this was done, but wondering when IT cops are going to move to the current century.
The authorities went physically to data centers & pulled the plug on suspect servers.
Yes, you'd want to confiscate the offending machines, but why not start by simply updating iptables on the core router(s) serving the DC(s), effectively and simultaneously shutting them off from the outside world?
Timing the takedown would be much better controlled, as it could be scripted and run from a central location. Just set it up and click the "Die Monster Die" icon (or run DMD from your shell) and all the heads of the Hydra get cut at once. Plenty of time for cleanup after you know for sure none of the C&C boxes can shoot out some last-minute instruction before getting shut off.
(Sure, there would be some tug of war on allowing one entity all those logins. That's what ACL's are for. They'd be updated as well after the takedown is complete.)
Not only do all security updates go to all users' systems, but non-genuine Windows systems are able to install service packs, update rollups, and important reliability and application compatibility updates. In addition, the users of non-genuine Windows systems can also upgrade a lot of the other software on their computer. For example Internet Explorer 8 has numerous security- oriented features and improvements, and it is available to all users.
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/windowssecurity/archive/2009/04/27/who-gets-windows-security-updates.aspx
You demanded others show it, I put up mine. Where's YOURS?
(Fantasy-Land?)
"I don't have the mind for this discontinuous drivel." - by Tom (822) on Wednesday March 30, @05:56PM (#35671746) Homepage
LOL, no... it appears you don't have a mind, period (or an actual research paper on security either)... remember, you said this to others here -> "PUT UP OR SHUT UP" so, when it's asked of you, though you demand it of others?? You suddenly evade it??? Please, lol!
---
"As you wrote those guidelines, you can write better than that, I'm sure your editor wouldn't have accepted a jumbled mess of incomplete sentences." - by Tom (822) on Wednesday March 30, @05:56PM (#35671746) Homepage
Heh, it was good enough to get me UNEXPECTEDLY paid, & does VERY well + has for almost 14 yrs. now (you done the same?).
Your "english grammar" critiques - where's your showing that you're an expert on that too? Got your PHD in English?? Not that it'd matter... you're off topic, & trolling now (the last resort of the defeated in technical debate).
Plus, like it or not??? You're a BLOWHARD - you said you "did your research"... well, show us it!
Personally speaking - I don't think you have it, period. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but... not anymore. I don't think others will either - & hey: THIS SITE? Widely travelled, & rated #1 in tech sites, see here:
http://www.topsite.com/best/tech
It's your rep, because odds are? Others ARE watching & reading... I actually sort of feel bad for you now, shooting your mouth off as you did, & not living up to your bluster.
---
"So if you want to make a point, make it in a way that makes sense." - " - by Tom (822) on Wednesday March 30, @05:56PM (#35671746) Homepage
It would appear to anyone reading here I have... see subject-line, above ALL else.
APK
"I think I'll leave you to your bridge, there's no content in this anymore. Bye." - by Tom (822) on Thursday March 31, @03:07PM (#35681022) Homepage
After all, didn't YOU say THIS to others here, acting the "big shot"?
"I've actually written a paper on that 10 years or so ago, it's somewhere on my website. I've done my research. Now show yours your shut up." - by Tom (822) on Tuesday March 29, @05:24PM (#35658778) Homepage Journal
FROM -> http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2059420&cid=35658778 RIGHT IN THIS ARTICLE EXCHANGE?
Well, quoting you again "NOW SHOW YOURS OR SHUT UP"
APK
P.S.=> NOW - I want you to know: I have nothing against you personally, I really don't... but, if you're going to BLAST people like you did here? Especially with challenges like THAT?? I'll put up what I have... to satisfy your request!
Funny you can't... "do not as I do, but as I SAY"... that?
That doesn't go VERY FAR around here man... just letting you know, that's HOW it works around here & for good reason AND YOUR OWN GOOD - proof!
Slashdot's one of the TOP TECH RATED SITES online, millions watching @ any moment, see here:
http://www.topsite.com/best/tech
I am only doing you a favor man, I really am!
I say that, because I used to come in here and cite info. too, always correct too, but no backing!
I took a LOT of shit for it...
Yes, and even if I have done well in this art & science of computing & NOT just for that security guide I showed you that's done GREAT for 14++ years online (the topic here)?
Well, that all "said & aside"?
I still have to backup my bluster... it's HOW it is here, and yes, elsewhere & SHOULD be (especially if you DEMAND it from others yourself)!
SO, to that note? Above & BEYOND that security guide of mine? See here:
"My Name is Ozymandias: King of Kings - Look upon my works, ye mighty, & DESPAIR..."
----
Windows NT Magazine (now Windows IT Pro) April 1997 "BACK OFFICE PERFORMANCE" issue, page 61
(&, for work done for EEC Systems/SuperSpeed.com on PAID CONTRACT (writing portions of their SuperCache program increasing its performance by up to 40% via my work) albeit, for their SuperDisk & HOW TO APPLY IT, took them to a finalist position @ MS Tech Ed, two years in a row 2000-2002, in its HARDEST CATEGORY: SQLServer Performance Enhancement).
WINDOWS MAGAZINE, 1997, "Top Freeware & Shareware of the Year" issue page 210, #1/first entry in fact (my work is there)
PC-WELT FEB 1998 - page 84, again, my work is featured there
WINDOWS MAGAZINE, WINTER 1998 - page 92, insert section, MUST HAVE WARES, my work is again, there
PC-WELT FEB 1999 - page 83, again, my work is featured there
CHIP Magazine 7/99 - page 100, my work is there
GERMAN PC BOOK, Data Becker publisher "PC Aufrusten und Repairen" 2000, where my work is contained in it
HOT SHAREWARE Numero 46 issue, pg. 54 (PC ware mag from Spain), 2001 my work is there, first one featured, yet again!
Also, a British PC Mag in 2002 for many utilities I wrote, saw it @ BORDERS BOOKS but didn't buy it... by that point, I had moved onto other areas in this field besides coding only...
Being paid for an article that made me money over @ PCPitstop in 2008 for writing up a guide that has people showing NO VIRUSES/SPYWARES & other screwups, via following its point, such as THRONKA sees here -> http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=ee926d913b81bf6d63c3c7372fd2a24c&t=28430&page=3
Lastly, late
Microsoft's DOWN TO 5 UNPATCHED SEC. VULNS IN THE ENTIRE MS PRODUCT LINE YOU USE TO DO BUSINESS ONLINE: (& 4x less unpatched security vulnerabilities than Linux has, no less, in its "latest/greatest", albeit KERNEL ONLY (makes a difference, read on)):
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Office 2010: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30529/?task=advisories
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft SQL Server 2008: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/21744/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.x: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/17543/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 6 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30853/?task=advisories
Unpatched 17% (0 of 6 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.x: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/34591/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 0 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Windows 7: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/27467/?task=advisories
Unpatched 8% (5 of 59 Secunia advisories)
AND, of those 5 vulnerabilities, yes... 2 are still "remote". HOWEVER, they have EASY work-arounds, OR, are caused/utilized by faulty 3rd party apps you can just avoid, as there's usually an alternate app for most anything!
(E.G.., & of ALL things? Apple stuff triggers one, ITunes another, iirc, etc. but no other apps are KNOWN to - go figure, eh?).
The remaining can be avoided by not just downloading & running "anything" etc. (being utterly stupid in other words, or just ignorant (which in the case of a child, I could excuse (not an adult)).
I.E.-> "NO PROBLEMO!"
&
ALMOST 4x LESS THAN IS PRESENT ON THE LINUX 2.6x KERNEL ALONE (toss on the rest of what goes into a Linux distro? That # goes "up, Up, UP & AWAY...", bigime, "increasing that lead, that Linux has", lol, in more unpatched known security bugs present that is (a dubious honor/win, lol, to say the least!)
---
So, that "all said & aside"?
Microsoft's doing a HELL OF A GOOD JOB on the security front!
APK
P.S.=> Compare a "*NIX/Open SORES" OS in Linux's "latest/greatest"?:
---
Vulnerability Report: Linux Kernel 2.6.x (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/2719/?task=advisories
Unpatched 7% (19 of 259 Secunia advisories)
---
THAT? That's more than 4x as many as Windows 7 has that are unpatched, & has a REMOTE BUG UNPATCHED in the "ROSE" subsystem... PLUS, I'd wager there aren't EASY workarounds for them (or as many as MS has shown above)...
AGAIN - THAT'S ONLY THE LINUX KERNEL MIND YOU, not the entire 'gamut/array' of what actually comes in a Linux distro (such as the attendant GUI, Windows managers, browsers, etc. that ship in distros too that have bugs, and yes, THEY DO), THAT ADDS EVEN MORE BUGS that COMPOUNDS THAT # EVEN MORE!
So, so much for "Windows is less secure than Linux" stuff you see around here on /., eh?
(It gets even WORSE for 'Linuxdom' when you toss on ANDROID (yes, it's a LINUX va
Microsoft's DOWN TO 5 UNPATCHED SEC. VULNS IN THE ENTIRE MS PRODUCT LINE YOU USE TO DO BUSINESS ONLINE: (& 4x less unpatched security vulnerabilities than Linux has, no less, in its "latest/greatest", albeit KERNEL ONLY (makes a difference, read on)):
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Office 2010: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30529/?task=advisories
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft SQL Server 2008: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/21744/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 4 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.x: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/17543/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 6 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/30853/?task=advisories
Unpatched 17% (0 of 6 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.x: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/34591/
Unpatched 0% (0 of 0 Secunia advisories)
---
Vulnerability Report: Microsoft Windows 7: (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/27467/?task=advisories
Unpatched 8% (5 of 59 Secunia advisories)
AND, of those 5 vulnerabilities, yes... 2 are still "remote". HOWEVER, they have EASY work-arounds, OR, are caused/utilized by faulty 3rd party apps you can just avoid, as there's usually an alternate app for most anything!
(E.G.., & of ALL things? Apple stuff triggers one, ITunes another, iirc, etc. but no other apps are KNOWN to - go figure, eh?).
The remaining can be avoided by not just downloading & running "anything" etc. (being utterly stupid in other words, or just ignorant (which in the case of a child, I could excuse (not an adult)).
I.E.-> "NO PROBLEMO!"
&
ALMOST 4x LESS THAN IS PRESENT ON THE LINUX 2.6x KERNEL ALONE (toss on the rest of what goes into a Linux distro? That # goes "up, Up, UP & AWAY...", bigime, "increasing that lead, that Linux has", lol, in more unpatched known security bugs present that is (a dubious honor/win, lol, to say the least!)
---
So, that "all said & aside"?
Microsoft's doing a HELL OF A GOOD JOB on the security front!
APK
P.S.=> Compare a "*NIX/Open SORES" OS in Linux's "latest/greatest"?:
---
Vulnerability Report: Linux Kernel 2.6.x (04/12/2011)
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/2719/?task=advisories
Unpatched 7% (19 of 259 Secunia advisories)
---
THAT? That's more than 4x as many as Windows 7 has that are unpatched, & has a REMOTE BUG UNPATCHED in the "ROSE" subsystem... PLUS, I'd wager there aren't EASY workarounds for them (or as many as MS has shown above)...
AGAIN - THAT'S ONLY THE LINUX KERNEL MIND YOU, not the entire 'gamut/array' of what actually comes in a Linux distro (such as the attendant GUI, Windows managers, browsers, etc. that ship in distros too that have bugs, and yes, THEY DO), THAT ADDS EVEN MORE BUGS that COMPOUNDS THAT # EVEN MORE!
So, so much for "Windows is less secure than Linux" stuff you see around here on /., eh?
(It gets even WORSE for 'Linuxdom' when you toss on ANDROID (yes, it's a LINUX va