It's an older story - for recent updates, hit google or check www.canfli.org which seems to be keeping on top of things.
Re:The Perfect Virus..?
on
The Virus Squad
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
1) Virus initially comes in as an attachment - user opens attachment (relies on non tech-savy people).
When the virus sends itself out, have it send an email containing a simulated conversation between two college students planning a weekend out. Have the conversation end with the comment of sending the pics of the weekend as a slide show or something. Have one of the email addresses (visible in half the replies) be one character off the target email address.
So now our victim sees a conversation between two college students plannig a weekend out and sees reference to attached pictures in a slightly odd format. Follow up immediately with another email in a paniced tone explaining that the pictures were sent to the victim in error due to a typo in the email address and please delete them as they contain some embarrasing half/fully naked pictures.
In the local pub, the owner has a reputation of putting on odd music. One night, right after White Zombie, the entire pub went quiet in shock as the slinky ad played over the speakers.
I'm not sure what the deal is about Shaolin Soccer - my local rental place has had it in for the last 2 years - we've rented it a few times already. It'll be interesting to see what a hack job Mirimax makes of it tho..
I wouldnt' really call it civil disobediance. It's more like 'corporate disobediance'. In an era where politicians are referred to by their supporting corporations, are we approaching the same thing?
Working in the local telco/ISP's call center, I have to agree with you entirely. However, our call center is internal rather than contracted to another company. They've recently done some changes to increase the chance of call monitoring & QA, but it's still low.
We're promoted and advanced based on our call statistics - average talk time, time between calls, call volume, etc. If our call time drops, however, they take a hard look at the QA scores and begin increasing monitoring to verify we're not just hanging up on callers to lower our call times.
As to the scripting issue, I like how we're set up. The scripting we follow is a process to eliminate the possability of something on the user end (reset modem, reboot computer, swap out tcp/ip if windows, check NIC or check the phones if a voice issue). Or, we can skip the process, tell the customer that if it's on their end there will be a hefty service charge when we send the tech by, and send it out. Most people don't mind the process when we tell them it's to avoid a service charge for them.
I used to work doing tech support for the local telco. Due to a department reshuffling, about half of the tech support guys now answer the phone repair lines. I'd love to be back in tech support, listening to people bitch about the internet service. They're easier to deal with than people screaming that it's the end of the world because their call display doesn't work.
On a related note, by repeatedly entering their own query can an individual or group of individuals manipulate the autocompleter?
ie: if a few (hundred/thousand) slashdotters went to amazon and typed in "PO - manipuliating the Patent Office for your own profit - the Amazon story", would that come up when people started typing in "pokemon"?
I want to watch somebody try to use the DMCA against people who decrypt that file. It's almost standing up and admitting that they wrote the virus.
Hmm.. if the DMCA lawsuit fines in favor of the writer, would any evidence gained from decrypting the file be made inadmissable for the prosecution of the writer?
It's interesting on the take of this from the Zion computer. If this was from the computer archives of Zion, the last bastion of humanity, would it really portray robots in such a forgiving light?
Or would it be filled with robot hate propaganda written by the bitter people on the losing end of a guerilla war?
Rather than just good or not good, an entire scope of ratings could be used. ISP assignment would range from doubleplusungood to doubleplusgood, depending on how well they record and report your downloading habits to the assigning agency.
To follow this line of thought a bit, if they're not paying the government, they're hampering the US war against terrorism. Therefore software priates == aiding terrorism.
Yes, I know that one doesn't actually depend on the other, but if presented in nice packaging, will Joe Sentator really care?
As an obselete 25 year old, I've got to agree. My coding and technical abilities have degraded heavily over the year I've been chained to a phone. About 4 months ago, departments merged and now I'm not even doing internet tech support - just support for people with broken phones (yay telcos!).
Slashdot Mirror
Quick update - they can't - not enough evidence so no court orders. This means ISP's are not required to provide the usernames of the customers.
They can't, yet.
It's an older story - for recent updates, hit google or check www.canfli.org which seems to be keeping on top of things.
1) Virus initially comes in as an attachment - user opens attachment (relies on non tech-savy people).
When the virus sends itself out, have it send an email containing a simulated conversation between two college students planning a weekend out. Have the conversation end with the comment of sending the pics of the weekend as a slide show or something. Have one of the email addresses (visible in half the replies) be one character off the target email address.
So now our victim sees a conversation between two college students plannig a weekend out and sees reference to attached pictures in a slightly odd format. Follow up immediately with another email in a paniced tone explaining that the pictures were sent to the victim in error due to a typo in the email address and please delete them as they contain some embarrasing half/fully naked pictures.
Now that's a virus that'd spread.
I think this is more of what the RIAA/MAAA robot would be like. Complete with subpoena launcher..
In the local pub, the owner has a reputation of putting on odd music. One night, right after White Zombie, the entire pub went quiet in shock as the slinky ad played over the speakers.
I'm not sure what the deal is about Shaolin Soccer - my local rental place has had it in for the last 2 years - we've rented it a few times already. It'll be interesting to see what a hack job Mirimax makes of it tho..
Got mole ploblems? Call Avogadro @ 6.02214199 x 10^23
I work in downtown Edmonton doing tech support. I make less than that and consider myself doing well.
7-11 (new comp sci grad job)
Wow - this explains why our new call center is opening in Montreal.
(also, keep in mind that this is in Canadian dollars, not real money)
Wow - I haven't heard such a doubleplusgood deal since I last talked with the Ministry of Love!
I wouldnt' really call it civil disobediance. It's more like 'corporate disobediance'. In an era where politicians are referred to by their supporting corporations, are we approaching the same thing?
Was anybody else wondering about the remote-control aspect of it? How does it link up? Can it be hijacked?
Working in the local telco/ISP's call center, I have to agree with you entirely. However, our call center is internal rather than contracted to another company. They've recently done some changes to increase the chance of call monitoring & QA, but it's still low.
We're promoted and advanced based on our call statistics - average talk time, time between calls, call volume, etc. If our call time drops, however, they take a hard look at the QA scores and begin increasing monitoring to verify we're not just hanging up on callers to lower our call times.
As to the scripting issue, I like how we're set up. The scripting we follow is a process to eliminate the possability of something on the user end (reset modem, reboot computer, swap out tcp/ip if windows, check NIC or check the phones if a voice issue). Or, we can skip the process, tell the customer that if it's on their end there will be a hefty service charge when we send the tech by, and send it out. Most people don't mind the process when we tell them it's to avoid a service charge for them.
I used to work doing tech support for the local telco. Due to a department reshuffling, about half of the tech support guys now answer the phone repair lines. I'd love to be back in tech support, listening to people bitch about the internet service. They're easier to deal with than people screaming that it's the end of the world because their call display doesn't work.
On a related note, by repeatedly entering their own query can an individual or group of individuals manipulate the autocompleter?
ie: if a few (hundred/thousand) slashdotters went to amazon and typed in "PO - manipuliating the Patent Office for your own profit - the Amazon story", would that come up when people started typing in "pokemon"?
I want to watch somebody try to use the DMCA against people who decrypt that file. It's almost standing up and admitting that they wrote the virus.
Hmm.. if the DMCA lawsuit fines in favor of the writer, would any evidence gained from decrypting the file be made inadmissable for the prosecution of the writer?
cdbaby.com has a nice catalog and is worth checking out.
A Tale in the Desert has the original game downloadable for free, with a free 30 day or 24 hour trial.
It's interesting on the take of this from the Zion computer. If this was from the computer archives of Zion, the last bastion of humanity, would it really portray robots in such a forgiving light?
Or would it be filled with robot hate propaganda written by the bitter people on the losing end of a guerilla war?
Rather than just good or not good, an entire scope of ratings could be used. ISP assignment would range from doubleplusungood to doubleplusgood, depending on how well they record and report your downloading habits to the assigning agency.
To follow this line of thought a bit, if they're not paying the government, they're hampering the US war against terrorism. Therefore software priates == aiding terrorism.
Yes, I know that one doesn't actually depend on the other, but if presented in nice packaging, will Joe Sentator really care?
Auto fuel.. is... PEOPLE!!
k.. maybe it was funnier in my head..
As an obselete 25 year old, I've got to agree. My coding and technical abilities have degraded heavily over the year I've been chained to a phone. About 4 months ago, departments merged and now I'm not even doing internet tech support - just support for people with broken phones (yay telcos!).
They are? Never heard that term before, and I'm Canadian...