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Packet Storm Security is back

Posted by Hemos on from the up-from-the-grave-it-arose dept.

Luke writes "As you may have herd, Packet Storm Security a web site providing free-ware security programs and information, was taken down a couple of months ago because of a complaint by the maintainer of AntiOnline. It was a very important source of security information to many people and companies. Now it is in the process of being put back on line by a security firm by the name of Securify. For more information visit Genocide2600. " The corporate security company that will be putting the info back on is Kroll-O'Gara, a name that I'm sure is familar to some of you. Suffice it to say, they provide "special security" for corporations, but are promising to run Packet Storm in much the same way, this time with a staff.

32 comments

  1. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, finally it's back. I just hope that it makes up for the lost time it was shutdown.

    1. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The question is, will they repost the /jp directory?

  2. Hrmmm...request for knowledge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are the rumours true that Packet Storm had some rather 'tasteless' family details of JP posted on its site? Which is why it was removed. As i say,its just a nasty rumour...but if someone could enlighten me then i'd be grateful. And why does everyone hate JP??

    1. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember when AntiOnline was getting some legal flack from this or that, and the kid had a fit. I found it even more amusing that he'd go and get another security site shutdown. In short, that kid is a nut less tool.

    2. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read (probably on news.com) a couple of weeks back that the "family details" included the address and photograph of JP's teenage sister - I can't find the article but it stuck in my mind as a particularly nasty thing to do.

    3. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Packet Storm was "alleged" by JP to have "a page with his 17-year-old sister's photo, name, and address", quoting from news.com's story on it. That's quite different from actually having posted that information, although Ken Williams did admit to a picture of JP's younger sister appearing on the site next to one of JP himself.

      I'd like to talk to someone who actually *did* see the pic of a semen-covered nun.

    4. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      actually, he still blocks refers from the people he started with, attrition.org, aviary-meg.com (OSAll), dis.org, hackernews.com, and the reson he states is that there is a link from attrition that puts a big long entry in the error logs at antionline, because it's something along the lines of
      http://www.antionline.com/cgi-bin/JP-is-a-really-c ool-guy-cause-he-can-bitch-to-harvard-an d-get-his-competition-shutdown.html
      I don't know, you be the judge, one link on attrition's page is enough to block 4 or more sites? Especially when he's in it for the money, I would think he would take refers from anyone that would offer them. but that's just my opinion, no telling what's actually going on in JP's little head.

    5. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by Svartalf · · Score: 1

      Apparently, JP quit that little practice (I could follow the link from /.) for at least SlashDot. Wonder if he realized how pedantic that struck a lot of people and that it was making his situation worse, not better.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    6. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by dirty · · Score: 3

      Ok I'm not an expert on this but here's what I understood to be the situation. JP, or "gaypee" as he seemed to be refered to often (NOTE: i think this nick name is distastefull, it just shows what people thought of him), is the head of anti-online, a supposed security consulting site, or something along those lines. He claimed that packetstorm had several things about his wife and family, including personal information, and other offensive material, such as a nun covered in semen. Whether this material was there or not I really do not know. There were several pages that were very critical of him, with racist and other quotes of the sort. From what I understand to the security community JP is regarded as a fraud who really knows nothing about security, dimes on fellow (cr,h)ackers, and basically abuses the (cr,h)acking scene in anyway he can. Supposedly he also deals with any critisism very poorly. Some people have speculated that JP tried (and for a while succeeded) to shutdown PacketStorm because he saw the site as competition, and the worst kind at that, free competition (sound like a certain evil empire we all know and love?). From what I could gather from the situation before, JP is an all around dick. Anti-Online's site is here http://www.antionline.com/ but you won't be able to just click the link, they have blocked referals from slashdot, because apparently slashdot is a cracker site. Atleast this was true when the last story was posted, I don't know if it still is. Go figure.

      --

      -matt
    7. Re:Hrmmm...request for knowledge by British · · Score: 1

      I remember when AntiOnline was a simple slashdot-like site for computer security related news. It was simple, and to the point,and interesting reading. Now with this 'revitalized' site, all i see is fancy artwork, an excess of ad banners, fluff, and plenty of 404 errors. Not worth my time to read it.

  3. gah... response from the 'competetion' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    from the antionline front page...


    Packet Storm Sells Out To Kroll-O'Gara
    Monday, August 16, 1999 at 21:54:48
    Packet Storm Founder Ken Williams sells his
    rights to Packet Storm Security to Kroll-O'Gara,
    takes job elsewhere in the security industry.

    (uh oh, did just I violate a copyright? So sorry..)

    .. jealousy? Sniveling? Pointless? You be the judge.. I refuse to read the article.

    btw, congrats on the return of PSS.

    -fester (where's my /. acct info again?)
    1. Re:gah... response from the 'competetion' by Mark+Pitman · · Score: 1

      Well, it is safe to read, because it is just a reprint of a letter Ken Wiliams wrote.

  4. My analogy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remember when you little. There was a kid that would go tell his mommy anytime you said anything about him. That's JP except he cries to his lawyers

  5. My understanding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From what I understand. People originally jumped to conclusions and claimed Harvard would destroy all data and backups. After the dust had settled slightly, Harvard agreed to give Ken back all the info on his site (including his term papers). Quite kind after the flaming they recieved IMHO.

  6. perspective by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From what I remember antionline began as a news site. JP gained notority because his university shut him down because he was posting offensive material (ie [cr,h]acker matierial). He soon delved into the [cr,h]acker scene and published interviews with [cr,h]ackers that showed their side. What happend next is anyone's guess, some say the government leaned on him, some say he got greedy, some say he just got lame. Point is he started to sell his 'profile db' which contained thousands of hours of logged irc sessions to law enforcement. He publicly stated he was going to bring evil [cr,h]ackers to justice. A benedict arnold of the community if you will. At the same time though, he was allegedly paying [cr,h]ackers to break into high profile sites so he could get the scoop on it. Got to drum up site traffic somehow right? The latest scandel with PacketStorm involves yet another bane of the community Carol Menell (ie the happy hacker).
    She and JP seem to be working together now in the game of finger pointing. God only knows what they will lie about next.

  7. It will not be the same Packet Storm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are kidding yourself it you think Packet Storm will be the same. Ken will no longer manage Packet Storm. Do you think that some corporation will be able to run a site like PS? Do you think their lawyer will allow them to post all those exploits? Can you say liability? All Kroll did was buy the name, but in spirit it will never be the same.

    1. Re:It will not be the same Packet Storm by cebe · · Score: 1

      I had to go all the way to the bottom to find one i agreed with :)

      not to mention the forum... which got particularily interesting at times (we lub j00 Dr.H) ... I cant see that having the same "taste" being run by a corporation.

      well I'm just glad Ken.. umm... won :)
      YIPPEE.. im off to packetstorm..

      -cb

      --
      You have paid for a total of 0 pages and so far 0 have been used up (0 today).
    2. Re:It will not be the same Packet Storm by shrdlu · · Score: 1

      Of course it won't be the same PacketStorm, and we have the little twit at Antionline to thank for it. The only reason that Harvard didn't wipe all of Ken's info (and that includes his schoolwork) is because of the thousands of emails from security professionals protesting the jump to conclusions, and the terrible loss of all Ken's work.

      Ken's site has been a major one for me for a very long time, and I considered it to be a tragic loss. The lies that were told by Vranesivich to Harvard should not have been believed without verification, but there you have it. They were frightened into jumping, and then (I suspect) felt that they couldn't back down.

      On the other hand, I've always known Ken to be an honest person. If he says that Securify is going to keep it the same, then I have to believe that they'll try. Don't forget who actually founded Securify. They are not exactly a bunch of conservatives, nor are they cowards.

      Sameer Parekh (the S in RSA), Jon Callas (OpenPGP), and the man in charge of the original Securify, Taher Elgamal (I really don't have to explain that, do I?). Sameer was one of the featured speakers at Defcon 7 this past July.

      I have hopes, and I hope that Ken does really well whereever he is. He certainly deserves a little success (and it must really annoy JP).

      -me-

      --
      The difference between a Miracle and a Fact is exactly the difference between a mermaid and a seal. (Mark Twain)
    3. Re:It will not be the same Packet Storm by shrdlu · · Score: 1

      >Uh, FYI, Sameer is not the "S" in RSA. He was,
      >however, the founder of C2Net software,

      You know, I knew that. Oops. Still, he's certainly one to be trusted (and not to run from a little controversy).

      >I'm horribly biased, since I work at Securify...

      Ok, you've got to guess what I'm going to ask next. Confidence Remains High? Keep or toss? How about the most fabulous collection of computer/unix humor ever? Keep or toss? I'm sure that there's other stuff I'll miss, I just don't remember what it is right now. C'mon, fess up. You must have some ideas.

      -me-

      --
      The difference between a Miracle and a Fact is exactly the difference between a mermaid and a seal. (Mark Twain)
    4. Re:It will not be the same Packet Storm by SecGuy · · Score: 1

      Uh, FYI, Sameer is not the "S" in RSA. He was, however, the founder of C2Net software, well-known for the Stronghold web server, and also for organizing outdoor dance parties. (See: http://www.bpm.ai/~sameer) He once appeared on the cover of Forbes above the caption "This Guy Wants to Overthrow the Government." You're probably thinking of "Shamir."

      Now, Securify's president, Taher El Gamal, _was_ the inventor of an alternative to RSA, called, well, El Gamal.

      I'm horribly biased, since I work at Securify, but I know that in addition to these well-known folks who are here, the guys actually working on the site do not lack knowledge, courage or attitude. In the long run, though, we'll just have to see what happens.

  8. Re:But ... where's it *from*? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bollocks

  9. Re:How? by MadCat · · Score: 1

    Short recap for those who don't want to read the article; packetstorm posted some nice articles regarding JP's lack of ethics and JP making up most of his stories. JP wasn't pleased and threatened legal action.

    Check here for some more info.

    --
    There is no sig...
  10. Re:How? by larien · · Score: 3

    See the Original slashdot article and the followup.
    --

  11. Armored Cars!!! by nuxx · · Score: 1

    Did anyone else happen to notice that they also offer armored vehicles, including military vehicles? Wow. :) That just makes me happy.

    1. Re:Armored Cars!!! by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Offtopic: The armored vehicles I've seen here tend to have gas tanks on the outside (in full view)...

  12. How? by hasse · · Score: 1

    How could Antionline force Packet Storm to shut down? Threatning with legal actions? And why?

  13. Broken link by Slyder · · Score: 0

    Good news hopefully though

  14. url by dsaljurator · · Score: 3

    Packetstorm's new Home. Just a splash page so far but i'm sure some of you, like me, will want to bookmark this. Courtesy of HackerNews.com

  15. Securify?? by greenfly · · Score: 3

    So "secure" isn't enough of a verb?
    I'll let them secure my server I suppose, just not "proofreadify" my term papers.

  16. Someone should track Hemos down,... by Chandon+Seldon · · Score: 0
    place their right thumb on their nose, and make embarrassing sounds with their mouth while wiggling their fingers.

    At least that's what the error message said should be done...

    --
    -- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.
  17. But ... where's it *from*? by amyzing · · Score: 1
    Hmmm.

    When I followed the story, the various people writing about it said that the entire site at Harvard had been destroyed--including the backups. So, if the new site is anything more than a name ... how was it recovered?

  18. Full story? by Microslack+Hack · · Score: 1

    Possibly /slanted/ but worth the read.

    http://www.attrition.org/negation

    M.H.
    Microsoft Zen - Become one with the blue screen.