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New Ransomware Strain is Locking Up Bitcoin Mining Rigs in China (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

A new strain of ransomware has been observed targeting Bitcoin mining rigs. ZDNet reports: At the time of writing, most of the infections have been reported in China, the country where most of the world's cryptocurrency mining farms are located. Named hAnt, this new ransomware strain was first seen in August of last year, but a new wave of infections has been reported hitting mining farms earlier this month. Most of the infected mining rigs are Antminer S9 and T9 devices, used for Bitcoin mining, but there have also been reports of hAnt infecting Antminer L3 rigs, used for mining Litecoin. In rare instances, Avalon Miner equipment (used for Bitcoin), were also reported as infected, but in much smaller numbers.

86 comments

  1. How do they want to be paid? by mark_reh · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bitcoin or real money?

    1. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Real money isn't real either. Like Bitcoin, it only has value because someone says it does. Neither is intrinsic.

    2. Re:How do they want to be paid? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      The value of a currency is related to its money supply vs. the size of the economy in which that currency is traded. For instance, if your economy grows you can print more money without incurring inflation. On top of that, the value is influenced by speculators who bet on changes of the value of the currency vs. other currencies or commodities. In case of real money, it's mostly the size of the economy and the money supply setting the price. In case of Bitcoin, is pretty much all speculation. All grossly oversimplified to be sure, but that's the main difference between the value of real money and Bitcoin.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      And you still missed that real money isn't real. There is 0 intrinsic value. It's all made up, just like digital coins. The ONLY value associated is that which is assigned to it by those that can provide the services/good trade, otherwise, they're just meaningless digits.

    4. Re: How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A centralised banking system has plenty less risk than crypto.

      Liquidity is far better with fiat money than crypto with fixed volumes. You can't speculate on the value of cash and for good reason.

      People know far more about the properties and behaviour of currency than cryptos. Sure Uncle Bob can spend a buttcoin after being shown, but he has zero understanding of private keys and bruteforcing a hash function.

      Ths tangibility of cash and difficulty of securing against copies guarantees its value not only to the holder but also the originator of it. Once you mine and dispose of some crypto, there's zero interest in its value being retained aside from the holder.

      But most importantly, because of the security we all invest in currencies there's the force of will to maintain integrity of the system.

      If you're going to declare money has zero inherent worth, you're showing your ignorance. I know why you're doing it though - too difficult to defend cryptos, so you try to falsely equate money as being equally inherently worthless. Figure out why a valuer can put a pricetsg on something higher than its constituent parts, and you might begin to understand why money does have real worth even when not inherent, or not even tangible in the case of cash in bank.

      Traditional currency is the best system we have because it works and incentivises all participants rich or poor to maintain its usage, value and liquidity. Crypto fails to achieve the same.

    5. Re: How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you say the "size of the economy" what do you mean? I'm asking because it is a fact that the volume of financial instruments (futures, credit default swaps, bonds, etc.) Is more or less 5 to 10 times the volume represented by goods and services. So when you say that the value of a currency is determined by the size of the relative economy you are talking about a snake that is biting his own tail.

    6. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And you still missed that real money isn't real.

      You keep arguing this. Yet, real money is still way more real than bitcoin.

      Not because of some kind of value association nonsense. It's because bitcoin is objectively useless.

    7. Re: How do they want to be paid? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      Goods and services. In other words: GDP

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    8. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet 1 unit of bitcoin has beat out all "real money" for years, in that you need thousands of units of "real money" to buy a bitcoin, and a bitcoin will get you thousands of units of "real money".

    9. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Fwipp · · Score: 2

      What a meaningless comment. Did you know that the imperial measurement system is superior to the metric one, because a mile is longer than a kilometer?

    10. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      And you still missed that real money isn't real.

      Maybe so but that doesn't mean it's exactly equal to Bitcoin. On a scale of 0 to 10 it scores very, very close to 10 and Bitcoin only scores a 0.01 (at best).

      (judging by the number of places that you can simply walk in and spend some)

      That's what you're missing.

      --
      No sig today...
    11. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No actually I wouldnt. Because Bitcoin is worth less than a bucket of shit and far FAR less useful.

      Go HODL yourself

    12. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 2

      The ONLY value associated [with "real money" - in this case, fiat currency] is that which is assigned to it by those that can provide the services/good trade, otherwise, they're just meaningless digits.

      That's true of ANYTHING, including the goods and services. The value of anything is what someone is willing to trade it for / for it.

      The thing that makes money "money" is that it a commodity that is valued by many (at roughly the same value), stable valued (in the short term) and easily divisible, so a barter of X for Y can be split (without substantial loss) into two barters - X for $ and $ for Y - , so you don't have to find somebody with a Y who wants to swap it for your X.

      And you still missed that real money isn't real. There is 0 intrinsic value. It's all made up, just like digital coins.

      That depends on the kind of money. Some of it is a commodity that has a generally recognized value. For instance, non-debased coinage: Standard sized chunks of known purity metals, stamped to indicate its composition and who certified it. Or debased coinage: Ditto but then the manufacturing-and-certifying authority changes the composition to be less valuable but keeps the designation.

      Then there is "backed paper money" - lightweight printed promises to give you something else of value (though less convenient to handle) when you ask. (The value of these is a function of the trader's estimate of the value of the backing commodity and the likelyhood that the promiser will make good on the promise.) The commodity might be anyhing: Gold, Silver, Liquor, pork bellies, ...

      But you seem to be talking about fiat currency: Paper notes or cheap token coins plus a law that says they must be accepted for payment of debts. The "backing value", to the extent there is one, is the promise of the government accepting these things (for fines, taxes, etc) and using force and/or court non-enforcement of debt collection on private creditors and merchants unless they accept the currency. The perceived value is also modulated by the estimate of how much more the government will print/stamp out, diluting the value of what is already out there.

      --
      Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
    13. Re:How do they want to be paid? by tomhath · · Score: 1

      it only has value because someone says it does

      I say the wadded up post-it note in front of me is money, will you give me $1000US for it?

      It's only money if other people agree that it is. Bitcoin was never money. It's just speculation, like beanie babies.

    14. Re:How do they want to be paid? by chiefcrash · · Score: 0

      It's only money if other people agree that it is. Bitcoin was never money.

      The IRS says that for federal tax purposes, Bitcoin is the same as currency. That would seem to imply that Bitcoin is, in fact, money...

      --
      Show me on the 1st Amendment bobblehead where the moderator touched you...
    15. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Congratulations, you're double negative logic approach still doesn't hold because that is not proof in and of itself, either. Real money still isn't real because it was originally sold under the premise that it was backed by a physical object of real value; gold. But take a real look at what happens today, the gold backing is a total farce; one of the European countries tried to get their real value back in Gold and was met with all sorts of bullshit excuses and allegations, but the real fact was that the gold itself did not exist in enough qualities to cover the monetary value that the money was supposed to represent; hence the money is not real it is just a false representative based upon an agreed but unreal acceptance. Now go and ask your bank about their unadvertised policy about the legal coverage of the total agreed value of your account and how much they really do and will cover in the event of a true financial disaster; you will find that there is a limit on the amount the bank will guarantee to re-emburse and ensure it truly "yours"; in some countries it is as little as $250,000 and anything above that is not guaranteed; so if it not guaranteed because it is not backed by a real capital (like gold) then the actual system of money really is not real because the system itself is rigged to devalue "your" money to point of being intrinsically = 0 ... with the underlying message of 'frack you' but you still have to use this monetary system. So this leads back to the original conclusion of money is not real because it really isn't real; it is still driven by the fundamental agreement of value. Try to hide from this all you want but as soon as an outside force can devalue "your money" despite you NOT agreeing to it then "it is not real". At this point it easy to accept that any kind of block-chain solution that emulates an agreed value, really is the same as money because they are all 'not really backed' and at the end of the day, any kind of agreed value tracker is just and only that; unreal. Please stop trying to justify that money is somehow more solid and reliable; the existance of virtual coins is just highlighting the money illusion that has been in place for hundreds of years; the topic is now just further into the light. It is a shame you can't see it for what it has always been ... a long term con based upon the illusion of mass confidence.

    16. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      +1 funny and +1 informative because you are right; scale is not a representative of value.

    17. Re:How do they want to be paid? by Powercntrl · · Score: 1

      The IRS says that for federal tax purposes, Bitcoin is the same as currency. That would seem to imply that Bitcoin is, in fact, money...

      The government made me pay $5 to register my god damn drone. So far, my drone flying hobby has done nothing but cost me money - it is completely unprofitable, yet "taxed" nevertheless. Uncle Sam just sees Bitcoin as an opportunity to collect more tax revenue from people who likely have more dollars than sense. I'm sure the government would put a tax on farting, if they could find a way to enforce it.

      --

      ---
      DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
  2. If you can't beat 'em, pwn 'em? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

    Wonder if this is an attempt by someone who has control of a significant but non-majority amount of the transaction pool to artificially reduce the pool size to allow them to do a 51% attack? I'm not familiar with that side of Bitcoin or it's mechanisms so not sure if that is viable or even possible.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    1. Re:If you can't beat 'em, pwn 'em? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then it would be much easier to DDoS the mining datacenter. Most are just on normal residential/commercial connections as the bandwidth consumption is minimal.

    2. Re:If you can't beat 'em, pwn 'em? by TheHawke · · Score: 1

      I'd say it government, namely Beijing. They have seen BTC as a direct threat to their banking system and have taken action in the past to minimize the damage they are doing. And now, they decided to take a cloak and dagger approach to dealing with them. No surprise.

      --
      First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
    3. Re:If you can't beat 'em, pwn 'em? by mysidia · · Score: 2

      Or the attack launched by some evildoer who is also a a Bitcoin Cash or other AltCoin proponent.

    4. Re:If you can't beat 'em, pwn 'em? by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

      Definitely feasible. Other currencies have been hit by 51% attacks and compromised with bogus double-spending transactions. Since China has 51% control of Bitcoin anyway, this could easily allow them to manipulate it by adding more currency or double-spending existing coins. And with 300 gigs of blockchain, few people are going to validate all the way to check for hanky-panky.

  3. seems counter productive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    holding for ransom, locking it up so it's not running, the thing that'll produce the coins to pay the ransom

    Seems like the smarter thing to do would have been to subvert a coin every so often to a different location, since you already have control of the machine. That way it'll go undetected for a while and they'll probably make more than the ransom payout would have been.

    1. Re:seems counter productive by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      holding for ransom, locking it up so it's not running, the thing that'll produce the coins to pay the ransom

      Seems like the smarter thing to do would have been to subvert a coin every so often to a different location, since you already have control of the machine. That way it'll go undetected for a while and they'll probably make more than the ransom payout would have been.

      Maybe, as some have suggested above, this is about more than ransom money.

      It could be that they saw mining rigs as particularly vulnerable... or it could be they have a deeper motive.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:seems counter productive by mysidia · · Score: 1

      If it was not for a deeper motive, then why wouldn't they simply reprogram them to start diverting some mining power to benefit the attacker and
      try to avoid detection?

      The mining hardware would be much more valuable mining something for the attacker than sitting locked up waiting for a ransom --- for
      the ransom to be worthwhile, it would have to be large enough that would also make it worthwhile for the mining operator to actually erase and reprogram the
      device's firmware instead of paying that ransom.

  4. Fan Control by nuckfuts · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If victims fail to pay the ransom or infect at least 1,000 other devices, the ransom note threatens to turn off the mining rig's fan and its overheat protection, leading to the device's destruction.

    If this happened to one of my devices, the first thing I'd be doing is attaching the fan(s) directly to the power supply. You won't get any fan regulation, and possibly a lot of fan noise, but you won't need to worry about overheating.

    Also, people who write ransomware are callous scum.

  5. Any takers on the source? by TheHawke · · Score: 1

    I'd say Beijing is up to their old tricks to try to eliminate competition to their banking system?

    --
    First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
    1. Re:Any takers on the source? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the government already has a stake in the large 'mining' operations there....

  6. Lights across China by Dan+East · · Score: 1

    And suddenly light bulbs in China got a little brighter.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Lights across China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most bitcoin mining farms in china run in places with excess electricity. Many hydro plants were built in places with no demand, to greenwash the enconomy, so you can get very cheap power there if you can relocate your facility.

  7. Re: A Haiku required to unlock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I really wish I was a better speller or poet :/

  8. good for bitcoin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm buying MORE bitcoin today. What an amazing investment it has been. I make $10,000 a month and you can too. Garanteed.

  9. Re: Trump to STORM House Chambers, give SOTU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trump has as much authority in the house chamber as your local kindergarten teacher.

  10. Cue the old crowd complaining... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...about not understanding bitcoin and how it must be literally tulips...

    1. Re:Cue the old crowd complaining... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      ...about not understanding bitcoin and how it must be literally tulips...

      Actually, it would be amusing if someone created a Tulipcoin.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:Cue the old crowd complaining... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Prepare to be amused

      https://tulipcoins.github.io

      Been a thing for a while!

    3. Re:Cue the old crowd complaining... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go nuts.

      https://tulipcoins.github.io/

    4. Re:Cue the old crowd complaining... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Prepare to be amused

      I am amused.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  11. not ramsomeware just environmental activists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    - build ransomware program
    - infect bitcoin mining machines
    - stop bitcoin mining
    - save lots of electricity
    - save the planet

  12. Totally Fuckin' A by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hahahaha this is fucking GREAT hahaha

    1. Re: Totally Fuckin' A by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But but but bitcoin is soooo secure!!!

  13. Re:Nazi faggots love Trump by Howitzer86 · · Score: 1

    Don't feed the trolls.

  14. Re: A Haiku required to unlock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Possibly the most stable âcurrency â ever conceived. Go scamcoin!

  15. APK & hosts files to the rescue again... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "classic Windows hosts trick to block the Coinhive or Crypto-Loot domains" - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/a-new-player-joins-coinhive-on-the-browser-cryptojacking-scene/

    * Accept NO inferior substitutes (w/ security issues in DNS https://news.slashdot.org/stor... + Antivirus (Tavis Ormandy anyone?)

    OR

    Inferior slower resource hogging slower usermode browser addons DESTROYED by GOOGLE https://news.slashdot.org/comm... but NOT hosts (faster in kernelmode & native, not "Bolt-on-'MoAr'" ILLOGIC-LOGIC easily detected/blocked by webmasters unlike hosts OR 'souled-out' to ADVERTISERS to NOT work by default (adblock)).

    P.S.=> For the best hosts file

    APK Hosts File Engine for Linux h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r L i n u x . z i p (remove spaces & download)

    APK Hosts File Engine for Windows https://hosts-file.net/?s=Down... (DL link @ bottom)

    Soon for MacOS (got a NEW Mac-Mini to port it)

  16. Bitcoin will be real by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 1

    Bitcoin will be approaching "real" when you can buy the hardware to mine it and pay for the electricity to run it in bitcoin.

    1. Re:Bitcoin will be real by chiefcrash · · Score: 1

      Back in the days when nobody heard of Bitcoin, I mined a few coins using my GPU...

      As the value of Bitcoin rose a bit, I used my Bitcoin to buy a couple Sapphire Block Erupters (back when the hashrate for them was respectable). This netted me a few more coins...

      At some point, I cashed out (waaaaaay too early). The results were enough to pay my power bill for a couple months and a shiny new Nexus 7 tablet...

      Does that mean it's real?

      --
      Show me on the 1st Amendment bobblehead where the moderator touched you...
  17. Re:APK & hosts files to the rescue again... ap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck off scammer

  18. lrn2engrish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    prease2b lrn2engrish. _grokparsefailure.

  19. Hosts' efficacy vs. threats recently... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & results in https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://yro.slashdot.org/comme... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://linux.slashdot.org/com... https://news.slashdot.org/comm... https://apple.slashdot.org/com... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://search.slashdot.org/co... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://apple.slashdot.org/com... https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://it.slashdot.org/commen...

    * That's only recently while I've been on Linux (July 2018) & 100's of times vs. MANY other botnets/malwares etc. in the past circa 2006-early 2018 while I was on Windows: CONCRETE VISIBLE UNDENIABLE REALITY (see those links as proof). ... & that's ONLY what /. reported on (there are FAR more)

    APK

    P.S.=> "It's working: Neville... it's working!" - "I AM LEGEND"... apk

  20. MORE security pros etc. quoted on hosts' value by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ZD NET http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-a-hosts-file-to-improve-your-internet-experience/ "Hosts files really shine by letting you block ads, spyware sites, malware sites, & tracking sites"

    SANS ("A related approach to the DNS issue is to create a hosts file on each system that sends requests for spyware to some place else" hosts by myself & RAMU right @ START of "malware explosion" mid 2005 on) https://isc.sans.edu/forums/di...

    Aryeh Goretsky/ESET/NOD32: hosts = good security https://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=7442373&amp.cid=49747129/

    Oliver Day (SYMANTEC/SECURITYFOCUS) http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/491/

    Spybot S&D uses hosts.

    APK

    P.S.=> Malwarebytes' hpHosts hosts & RECOMMENDS my program forum.hosts-file.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4290

  21. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #1/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017

    Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016

    his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015

    his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015

    I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015

    that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015

    I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017

    * For the Win32/64 model...

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient/better MERGE feature too - More coming... apk

  22. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #2/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apk has the answer for that - really... kill automatic updates by adding a hosts file entry setting updates.steam.com or whatever to 127.0.0.1. You have to find the right hostname for each software you want to block updates on by raymorris (2726007) on Friday July 06, 2018

    APK your posts on this and the hosts file posts, and more, have never been in error and/or bad advice by BlueStrat (756137) on Wednesday June 21, 2017

    I support APK's stand on the hosts file and can't see why it's not used more than it is. My hosts file is 144247 lines long (4,332 Kb) it & a firewall serves me very well - by Trax3001BBS (2368736)

    ABP is insufficient as a solid hosts file does everything APK reminds us about fast turtle September 17 2013

    You need APK's hosts file - by Teun (17872) on Wednesday August 06, 2014

    * For the Win32/64 model...

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature - More coming... apk

  23. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #3/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK is totally right on this count. Adblock Plus on Firefox mobile is a dog on older, or lower end, phones. A hostfile based adblocker makes for a much better experience in this context. Of course, your phone has to be rooted, which isn't the case with Firefox + adblock." - by chihowa on Saturday May 16, 2015

    APK solution STILL relevant Thud457 June 11 2015

    In a footnote, I would like to note that I find your hosts file admirable - by vel-ex-tech (4337079) on Tuesday November 24, 2015

    APK's monolithic hosts file is looking pretty good at the moment - by Culture20 on Thursday November 17

    you're right about hosts files - by drinkypoo (153816) on Thursday May 26

    APK, I know people give you a lot of shit regarding hosts, but please don't ever stop - by nasredin (958927) on Friday June 12, 2015 @03:34PM

    * For the Win32/64 model...

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature - More coming... apk

  24. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #4/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK is kinda right... I've given up on JS based adblocking and gone to blackholing in /etc/hosts, just like it was back in the 90s. The computational load has gotten intolerable for any ad-blocking using JS. I've tried his hosts file generating software. It works. - by bmo (77928) on Thursday October 15, 2015

    get around to 'installing' a hosts file list, not sure which one, likely the one from someonewhocares.org. If it works as well as what I used for a while about ten years ago, I'll be happy. And grateful to APK for the lesson and the reminder. - by kermidge (2221646) on Wednesday March 27

    I actually went and downloaded a 16k line hosts file and started using that after seeing that post, you know just for trying it out. some sites load up faster. - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday November 17

    dammit MS, you proved APK right about something by lgw

    * For the Win32/64 model...

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature - More coming... apk

  25. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #5/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    (APK) is still right a hosts file really does work. It even blocked a some of the video ads that were inserted into a stream OrangeTide February 10 2016

    the Host File Engine performs exactly as promised - by mmell (832646) on Thursday February 16, 2017

    I do use APK's host file on all my systems at home by OrangeTide December 01 2017

    I've never tried to belittle (APK's work), I've flat out said it's good - by BronsCon (927697) on Thursday February 11, 2016 @06:48PM (#51491263)

    (Toss on 100,000++ users worldwide too!)

    * For the Win32/64 model...

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature... apk

  26. Even CHINA copied me (vs. DNS down/redirected) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who did it 1st: China or me? I did - dates are my proof https://theregister.co.uk/2017... w/ the FACT China rampantly STEALS U.S. Intellectual properties & military secrets!

    * IMITATION truly IS the SINCEREST FORM of FLATTERY!!!

    (... & proves hosts work vs. DNS faults in tracking you via dns request logs (since you avoid it & resolve FASTER locally using hosts) + DNS being downed OR Kaminsky REDIRECT security flaw misdirected poisoned (or vs. DNSChanger))

    ESPECIALLY AS I DISCOVERED MODEMS CHINA MAKES EVEN YOUR ISP CAN'T GET INTO FOR DNS CHANGE (but China can) https://slashdot.org/comments....

    APK

    P.S.=> Folks, It's NOT EASY being "World-Class" like me (lol - 100,000++ users prove it for me) - enjoy the fruits of my labors for FREE + going FASTER/SAFER/MORE RELIABLY online (w/ a bit more anonymity too via my program)... apk

  27. MORE security pros etc. quoted on hosts' value by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ZD NET http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-a-hosts-file-to-improve-your-internet-experience/ "Hosts files really shine by letting you block ads, spyware sites, malware sites, & tracking sites"

    SANS ("A related approach to the DNS issue is to create a hosts file on each system that sends requests for spyware to some place else" hosts by myself & RAMU right @ START of "malware explosion" mid 2005 on) https://isc.sans.edu/forums/di...

    Aryeh Goretsky/ESET/NOD32: hosts = good security https://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=7442373&amp.cid=49747129/

    Oliver Day (SYMANTEC/SECURITYFOCUS) http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/491/

    Spybot S&D uses hosts.

    APK

    P.S.=> Malwarebytes' hpHosts hosts & RECOMMENDS my program forum.hosts-file.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4290

  28. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #1/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017

    Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016

    his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015

    his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015

    I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015

    that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015

    I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017

    * For the Win32/64 model.

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient/better MERGE feature too - More coming... apk

  29. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #2/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apk has the answer for that - really... kill automatic updates by adding a hosts file entry setting updates.steam.com or whatever to 127.0.0.1. You have to find the right hostname for each software you want to block updates on by raymorris (2726007) on Friday July 06, 2018

    APK your posts on this and the hosts file posts, and more, have never been in error and/or bad advice by BlueStrat (756137) on Wednesday June 21, 2017

    I support APK's stand on the hosts file and can't see why it's not used more than it is. My hosts file is 144247 lines long (4,332 Kb) it & a firewall serves me very well - by Trax3001BBS (2368736)

    ABP is insufficient as a solid hosts file does everything APK reminds us about fast turtle September 17 2013

    You need APK's hosts file - by Teun (17872) on Wednesday August 06, 2014

    * For the Win32/64 model.

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature - More coming... apk

  30. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #3/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK is totally right on this count. Adblock Plus on Firefox mobile is a dog on older, or lower end, phones. A hostfile based adblocker makes for a much better experience in this context. Of course, your phone has to be rooted, which isn't the case with Firefox + adblock." - by chihowa on Saturday May 16, 2015

    APK solution STILL relevant Thud457 June 11 2015

    In a footnote, I would like to note that I find your hosts file admirable - by vel-ex-tech (4337079) on Tuesday November 24, 2015

    APK's monolithic hosts file is looking pretty good at the moment - by Culture20 on Thursday November 17

    you're right about hosts files - by drinkypoo (153816) on Thursday May 26

    APK, I know people give you a lot of shit regarding hosts, but please don't ever stop - by nasredin (958927) on Friday June 12, 2015 @03:34PM

    * For the Win32/64 model.

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature - More coming... apk

  31. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #4/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK is kinda right... I've given up on JS based adblocking and gone to blackholing in /etc/hosts, just like it was back in the 90s. The computational load has gotten intolerable for any ad-blocking using JS. I've tried his hosts file generating software. It works. - by bmo (77928) on Thursday October 15, 2015

    get around to 'installing' a hosts file list, not sure which one, likely the one from someonewhocares.org. If it works as well as what I used for a while about ten years ago, I'll be happy. And grateful to APK for the lesson and the reminder. - by kermidge (2221646) on Wednesday March 27

    I actually went and downloaded a 16k line hosts file and started using that after seeing that post, you know just for trying it out. some sites load up faster. - by gl4ss (559668) on Thursday November 17

    dammit MS, you proved APK right about something by lgw

    * For the Win32/64 model.

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature - More coming... apk

  32. Registered /.ers DISAGREE #5/5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    (APK) is still right a hosts file really does work. It even blocked a some of the video ads that were inserted into a stream OrangeTide February 10 2016

    the Host File Engine performs exactly as promised - by mmell (832646) on Thursday February 16, 2017

    I do use APK's host file on all my systems at home by OrangeTide December 01 2017

    I've never tried to belittle (APK's work), I've flat out said it's good - by BronsCon (927697) on Thursday February 11, 2016 @06:48PM (#51491263)

    (Toss on 100,000++ users worldwide too!)

    * For the Win32/64 model.

    APK

    P.S.=> Linux model's faster/more efficient + BETTER merge feature... apk

  33. Even CHINA copied me (vs. DNS down/redirected) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who did it 1st: China or me? I did - dates are my proof https://theregister.co.uk/2017... w/ the FACT China rampantly STEALS U.S. Intellectual properties & military secrets!

    * IMITATION truly IS the SINCEREST FORM of FLATTERY!!!

    (... & proves hosts work vs. DNS faults in tracking you via dns request logs (since you avoid it & resolve FASTER locally using hosts) + DNS being downed OR Kaminsky REDIRECT security flaw misdirected poisoned (or vs. DNSChanger))

    ESPECIALLY AS I DISCOVERED MODEMS CHINA MAKES EVEN YOUR ISP CAN'T GET INTO FOR DNS CHANGE (but China can) https://slashdot.org/comments....

    APK

    P.S.=> Folks, It's NOT EASY being "World-Class" like me (lol - 100,000++ users prove it for me) - enjoy the fruits of my labors for FREE + going FASTER/SAFER/MORE RELIABLY online (w/ a bit more anonymity too via my program)... apk

  34. Hosts' efficacy vs. threats recently... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & results in https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://yro.slashdot.org/comme... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://linux.slashdot.org/com... https://news.slashdot.org/comm... https://apple.slashdot.org/com... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://search.slashdot.org/co... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://apple.slashdot.org/com... https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... https://it.slashdot.org/commen...

    * That's only recently while I've been on Linux (July 2018) & 100's of times vs. MANY other botnets/malwares etc. in the past circa 2006-early 2018 while I was on Windows: CONCRETE VISIBLE UNDENIABLE REALITY (see those links as proof). ... & that's ONLY what /. reported on (there are FAR more)

    APK

    P.S.=> "It's working: Neville... it's working!" - "I AM LEGEND"... apk

  35. Ransomware vs Bitcoin. Popcorn! by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    So it's going to be ransomware thugs versus the Bitcoin community of child porn sites, drug traders, basement-dwelling conspiracy theorists - and yes, other ransomware developers who use Bitcoin to get ransom payments without being traced. All the scams in the world collapsing into a black hole as the rest of us applaud.

    1. Re:Ransomware vs Bitcoin. Popcorn! by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      Windows ransomware? What would possess somebody to run a mining rig on Windows? I can only think of disadvantages.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  36. Good by Trogre · · Score: 1

    The fewer of these resistive heaters we have sucking otherwise useful energy and further warming our planet the better.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  37. APK Hosts File Engine for MacOS... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's here! APK Hosts File Engine 1.0++ 64-bit for MacOS h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r M a c O S . z i p

    Yields more security/speed/reliability/anonymity vs. any 1 solution (99% of threats use hostnames vs. IP address most firewalls use) more efficiently/FASTER + NATIVELY 4 less!

    Vs. "Bolt on 'MoAr' illogic-logic" slowing you hosts speed u up 2 ways: Adblocks + Hardcode fav. sites u spend most time @ vs. competition loaded w/ security bugs (DNS/AntiVir) + overheads slowing u (messagepass 'souled-out' to advertisers easily detected & blocked addons + firewall filtering drivers) & their complexity leads to exploitation!

    * ONLY 1 of its kind in GUI 4 MacOS!

    (Better vs. Windows model in speed/efficiency)

    APK

    P.S.=> Protects against ALL known & unknown vulnerabilities. Now supports port filters in hosts. My work is world-class & China copied it because they can't do better. I am God's gift to Slashdot... apk

  38. APK Hosts File Engine for MacOS... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's here! APK Hosts File Engine 1.0++ 64-bit for MacOS h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r M a c O S . z i p

    Yields more security/speed/reliability/anonymity vs. any 1 solution (99% of threats use hostnames vs. IP address most firewalls use) more efficiently/FASTER + NATIVELY 4 less!

    Vs. "Bolt on 'MoAr' illogic-logic" slowing you hosts speed u up 2 ways: Adblocks + Hardcode fav. sites u spend most time @ vs. competition loaded w/ security bugs (DNS/AntiVir) + overheads slowing u (messagepass 'souled-out' to advertisers easily detected & blocked addons + firewall filtering drivers) & their complexity leads to exploitation!

    * ONLY 1 of its kind in GUI 4 MacOS!

    (Better vs. Windows model in speed/efficiency)

    APK

    P.S.=> Protects against ALL known & unknown vulnerabilities. Now supports port filters in hosts. My work is world-class & China copied it because they can't do better. I am God's gift to Slashdot... apk

  39. IMPERSONATING ME again? apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & MacOS model's NOT done yet - but WILL be as part of a "SELF-ACTUALIZATION" for myself I'm doing & for others (see results in my other posts).

    * TRY IT SOMETIME instead of being a SCUMBAG "WEEZIL" stalking me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts OR impersonating me...

    APK

    P.S.=> PAY IT FORWARD & MAKE A WHEEL fool https://isc.sans.edu/forums/di... - if not being of service to others & in the LONG haul yourself too, but for yourself @ first (it's how it starts)... apk

    1. Re:IMPERSONATING ME again? apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Jesus Christ, this level of autism is incredible.

  40. How long 'til someone goes to custom silicon. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seeing this story reminded me to take a look at the current state of the Bitcoin mining ASICs. There have been some significant improvements, for example Bitfury is claiming 55 milliwatts per Gh.(https://bitfury.com/content/downloads/clarke_datasheet.pdf).

    But I can't help wondering how long it will be before all these ASIC designs go the way of the GPU mining systems. In other environments custom silicon has offered something like a five-fold improvement in performance over ASIC designs. So how long will it be before one of the older Chinese fabs starts turning out 45nm bitcoin miners??

    Maybe this ransomeware is the first step in the process, clearing the way for the rise of the nanometer miners.

  41. IMPERSONATING me STILL again? apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & MacOS model's NOT done yet - but WILL be as part of a "SELF-ACTUALIZATION" for myself I'm doing & for others (see results in my other posts).

    * TRY IT SOMETIME instead of being a SCUMBAG "WEEZIL" stalking me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts OR impersonating me!

    APK

    P.S.=> PAY IT FORWARD & MAKE A WHEEL fool https://isc.sans.edu/forums/di... - if not being of service to others & in the LONG haul yourself too, but for yourself @ first (it's how it starts)... apk

  42. Re: tl;dr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Taken some downers ffs you fucking speedjunkie.

  43. Re: How does Ponzi work? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because NO ONE ever made a few bucks on a Ponzi and told their friends before it crashed. NO ONE EVER.

  44. Boo Hoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cry me a river. Power parasites creating a useless funny-money that they can use to buy drugs and porn, or try to get some greater fool to purchase.

  45. Correct (about you stalking me)... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, your autism STALKING me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts IS incredible - in your psychotic OBSESSION of yours doing it!

    APK

    P.S.=> Grow up & GET ON TOPIC, whacko... apk

  46. Re: How does Ponzi work? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Were those real bucks, or non-real bucks?