Jeffrey Lee Parsons, of Hopkins, Minn. has been identified as the supect.
It'll take a seti@home setup to figure out
on
MIT Everyware
·
· Score: 1
From the write up, one of the courses offered is "Congress and the American Political System"
It will take the combined computing power of every single system just to figure that all out.
Since posting our original comment earlier today, other facts have come to light. In our Opinion posted on 24 May 2003 we outlined who we believe is responsible for SPEWS. Since then, certain details have changed, in particular the registration information for Wewak.net, which has been alluded to in the NANAE group as the host of SPEWS.
As the blocklist lists more sites/providers, then it stands to reason those sites will follow the trail back to the blocklist, such as Osirusoft or SPEWS, in order to get information regarding their inclusion in that list, and how to get delisted. (Reference: The "Slashdot Effect).
I noticed that Joe Jared mentions his other site as a collateral casualty of the DDoS. Now where did I hear the term "collateral damage" before? As a provider of SPEWS blocklists, that would in effect make him as accountable as SPEWS, to use their own twisted logic of "a customer of an ISP is as guilty of spamming as the spammer themselves".
We do not condone any DDoS attack, nor do we condone the actions of SPEWS. The demise of Osirusoft demonstrates that unaccountable "vigilantism" does nothing to stem the tide of unwanted commercial emails and as stated in previous posts regarding spam, more rational discussion should be forthcoming, with real solutions, rather than the tactics used by the blocklists that would hack down the forest to fell one tree.
"substitute communications systems".
That really makes me wonder, intercoms, paper memo's, writing on one's hand (just like we did in school:)) are all "substitute communications systems". I can see it now, go to the local Post Office and ask for "memo stamps".
Now I'm afraid to holler down the hall at someone.
MSNBCis doing a series on spam (who isn't these days!). You are right that it is the money controlling spam, and if people would not buy from the spammers, they would be out of business. Better education of the casual Internet user is another step in the right direction. That could start at the ISP level, when a customer signs up and receives their "Welcome to..." package, and really read it and heed the warnings about unknown attachments in email, spam, etc.
Of course, most ISP's do not have the time or resources to really educate users, that is why sites such as ours are becoming more popular (google "internet chat safety" and we come up second). I wouldn't go so far as to say a licence to use the Internet should be created, but a proficiency test would help:)
Most every porn type email I get can be traced back to servers in China or The Netherlands. I doubt those Cajuns will be going overseas anytime soon to prosecute.
Hmm, just got a new porn email, from Pythonvideo, up in Canada. Hope those guys have a large travel budget.
I'd like to have one in my office and hook it into a vcr with a tape of some preset images, or into a keyboard (musical type). A keyboard reminds me of "Close Encounters".
I was in High School in Germany in the late '60's, and got involved in ham radio thru the local Army Security Agency unit. My dad was in ASA, and the operators there taught me Morse, and we spent many a day on 10 and 15 Meters trying to hit stateside operators, using CW. We built our own transmitters, and a Heathkit receiver, that I still have to this day.
I drifted away from ham radio about the time Packet Radio and slow scan TV began, but it fostered a life long love of technology, and made the transition to computers much more interesting.
Now I have the time to get back into amateur radio, relearning Morse, and involving my teenage son in the hobby.
"Cars are nothing like computers."
Now he tells me. Does anyone know how to remove a quart of 10W30 from a CPU? The fan was a bit noisy, so I thought I'd oil it.
Methanol can be produced from organic waste products. I'd hate to think about having to go to the local sewer treatment plant and ask them to fill up my laptop.
Lightning does create an upper atmosphere layer of ozone, which is beneficial. Without it, we'd fry.
Carbon monoxide (fossil fuel burning, auto emissions, that MickieD you ate) creates a layer of ozone at the surface of the earth, which cannot go into the upper atmosphere, and is harmful.
I have one of the most comprehensive Internet user safety sections online, and simply because of my domain name and content, I'm blocked. It's too much trouble just to get a second domain name and revise the safety section to comply with the blocking software. I don't lose that much traffic as it is, but what really gets me is that a lot of high schools and colleges cite my site as a reference, and then block it in the libraries.
I got out of the Army in 74, and went into driving full time until 92. From that point on, I drove a few months out of the year, primarily for various car carriers, including Horseless Carriage and Fleet Car.
I worked on Chatmag in my spare time, first as a hobby site, beginning in 98. When the truck stops put in the Internet Kiosks, I administered and updated it on the road, finally giving up the road just prior to Sept 11th.
Most of the drivers I know are "gadget freaks", with toys of all kinds for their CB's and trucks, with mobile phones being used almost from the beginning, moving on to laptops and Internet Kiosks. The first usage of satellite communications was designed by Qualcomm for the Energy Department, in their Nuclear transportation division. Satellite communication is now a part of most fleets, both common carrier and independents, integrating into the freight tracking systems. By the way, most satellite communication systems employ a modified laptop in the cab of the truck.
Driving gave me the time to think, to see the country, and to understand how everything fits together. It truly broadens one's horizon, in more ways than one.
There was a case in Canada a few years ago, with a "GeorgeK" filing suit against some Undernet IRC network users, "the co-defendants spoke falsely of him, thereby making other people in the IRC community dislike or distrust him."
From what I had read from the beginning, Mr. Novak had some problems best addressed by a counselor, rather than a lawyer.
This is not competent legal advise, just my
understanding as a publisher, and a person who has been involved in the
Internet for over 10 years. I will be in contact with a lawyer familiar
with Internet law, if nothing else, just for my own education.
The infected user first downloaded Fizzer embedded within another file,
presumably either on KaZaa, or via email attachment. KaZaa posts their
Terms of Service, which includes the statement that any user understands they may also receive other files not included in any posting of file
names, that is, they may also download malicious or other unwanted
files, and that they do so at their own risk. At that point, should the
user choose to download and run files, they have given their consent and assume responsibility.
Once the infected file is downloaded and opened, installing it into
their computer, the infected file has a "call home" feature written into
it by the author of Fizzer, which periodically allows the program to
access a remote server to automatically update itself. There are many
instances of legal programs which also have this feature, so the notion
of a program "calling home" is generally understood to be an accepted
action. (My HP does that, or did, until I disabled the port it uses) The
program would then download any updates posted on the
server, at the IP that is set within the program routine itself. This falls into the "implied consent" rule, as the user is allowing the
program to do as it was intended.
In the case of the original Fizzer author, the intention was to give a
malicious program updates which would sustain the operation of the
program, causing further harm to other users and networks. By accessing
the Geocities site, as provided within the Fizzer, and replacing the
update with another series of commands that in effect disable Fizzer,
any person placing such files would reasonably be acting within the
original intent of the Fizzer author, that is to say, supplying updates
to the existing program. That the update causes Fizzer to become
disabled is of little consequence, as the user has by implied consent
allowed any and all further modifications to be implemented to Fizzer.
While it is the intent of the original author to cause harm, the persons
responsible for the modification which in effect shuts down Fizzer are
acting on the premise that they are doing so for the good of all.
The original Fizzer author also built into Fizzer the ability to connect
to various IRC networks, and join particular chat rooms, in order to be
further controlled by remote command. The end user, having consented to
downloading and installing Fizzer, therefore by implied consent, agrees
to allow any and all commands to be issued to their computer via said
IRC channels.
One example of remote cleaning of computers can be found at
http://housecall.antivirus.com
The long and the short of it is, no one is "modifying" any computer,
they are only carrying out the original authors intent of updating
Fizzer. That it in effect causes Fizzer to cease to be of further harm
is of benefit to all, and would be seen in most courts as an action for
the common good. I am aware of several other less publicized actions
taken of the same sort, this being the first of its kind as far as
coverage by media. It is more a matter of ethics rather than a legal
issue, I believe. Ethically, I think it is justified.
I think it is an innovative, and proper solution to a problem and may
have far reaching effects beyond disabling one malicious program.
The
actions taken do raise legal issues, and with Internet Law a new field,
quite a lot of what we do is new to the legal profession, and the law
will adapt to this new medium, for the most part, borrowing from current
legal precedents.
On another point, it would be fairly simple to track the original Fizzer
author, Geocities should have the IP of whoever first set up the site. I
can only hope they are cooperating with investigative agencies.
Slashdot Mirror
Jeffrey Lee Parsons, of Hopkins, Minn. has been identified as the supect.
From the write up, one of the courses offered is "Congress and the American Political System"
It will take the combined computing power of every single system just to figure that all out.
Since posting our original comment earlier today, other facts have come to light. In our Opinion posted on 24 May 2003 we outlined who we believe is responsible for SPEWS. Since then, certain details have changed, in particular the registration information for Wewak.net, which has been alluded to in the NANAE group as the host of SPEWS.
I love the ones hosted on Geocities. Doesnt take much to go over their bandwidth!
As the blocklist lists more sites/providers, then it stands to reason those sites will follow the trail back to the blocklist, such as Osirusoft or SPEWS, in order to get information regarding their inclusion in that list, and how to get delisted. (Reference: The "Slashdot Effect).
I noticed that Joe Jared mentions his other site as a collateral casualty of the DDoS. Now where did I hear the term "collateral damage" before? As a provider of SPEWS blocklists, that would in effect make him as accountable as SPEWS, to use their own twisted logic of "a customer of an ISP is as guilty of spamming as the spammer themselves".
We do not condone any DDoS attack, nor do we condone the actions of SPEWS. The demise of Osirusoft demonstrates that unaccountable "vigilantism" does nothing to stem the tide of unwanted commercial emails and as stated in previous posts regarding spam, more rational discussion should be forthcoming, with real solutions, rather than the tactics used by the blocklists that would hack down the forest to fell one tree.
"substitute communications systems". :)) are all "substitute communications systems". I can see it now, go to the local Post Office and ask for "memo stamps".
That really makes me wonder, intercoms, paper memo's, writing on one's hand (just like we did in school
Now I'm afraid to holler down the hall at someone.
"most puter geeks drink coffee by the gallon anyway"
Drink coffee???? I gave that up years ago.
"Oh nurse, my IV caffeine drip is falling out again".
Nigerian Scam Template (short form) For entertainment purposes only (the lawyers made me say that).
MSNBCis doing a series on spam (who isn't these days!). You are right that it is the money controlling spam, and if people would not buy from the spammers, they would be out of business. Better education of the casual Internet user is another step in the right direction. That could start at the ISP level, when a customer signs up and receives their "Welcome to..." package, and really read it and heed the warnings about unknown attachments in email, spam, etc.
:)
Of course, most ISP's do not have the time or resources to really educate users, that is why sites such as ours are becoming more popular (google "internet chat safety" and we come up second). I wouldn't go so far as to say a licence to use the Internet should be created, but a proficiency test would help
Most every porn type email I get can be traced back to servers in China or The Netherlands. I doubt those Cajuns will be going overseas anytime soon to prosecute.
Hmm, just got a new porn email, from Pythonvideo, up in Canada. Hope those guys have a large travel budget.
I'd like to have one in my office and hook it into a vcr with a tape of some preset images, or into a keyboard (musical type). A keyboard reminds me of "Close Encounters".
9 November 1965. It was my 14th birthday. Guess I was only supposed to blow out the candles.
" We can reform the California criminal justice system, second only to Texas in its executions and prison populations."
I thought Florida is second to Texas in executions. Maybe that's why my lights keep dimming.
I was in High School in Germany in the late '60's, and got involved in ham radio thru the local Army Security Agency unit. My dad was in ASA, and the operators there taught me Morse, and we spent many a day on 10 and 15 Meters trying to hit stateside operators, using CW. We built our own transmitters, and a Heathkit receiver, that I still have to this day.
I drifted away from ham radio about the time Packet Radio and slow scan TV began, but it fostered a life long love of technology, and made the transition to computers much more interesting.
Now I have the time to get back into amateur radio, relearning Morse, and involving my teenage son in the hobby.
Here is a list of names for big numbers
"Cars are nothing like computers." Now he tells me. Does anyone know how to remove a quart of 10W30 from a CPU? The fan was a bit noisy, so I thought I'd oil it.
It was the first night launch I've seen since relocating to Florida. Ok, so I'm a big kid thats easily amused.
Methanol can be produced from organic waste products. I'd hate to think about having to go to the local sewer treatment plant and ask them to fill up my laptop.
Lightning does create an upper atmosphere layer of ozone, which is beneficial. Without it, we'd fry.
Carbon monoxide (fossil fuel burning, auto emissions, that MickieD you ate) creates a layer of ozone at the surface of the earth, which cannot go into the upper atmosphere, and is harmful.
NPR had a great series called "Lost and Found Sound", one episode had the sounds of the Northern Lights, and lightning. Sounds of the Northern Lights
I have one of the most comprehensive Internet user safety sections online, and simply because of my domain name and content, I'm blocked. It's too much trouble just to get a second domain name and revise the safety section to comply with the blocking software. I don't lose that much traffic as it is, but what really gets me is that a lot of high schools and colleges cite my site as a reference, and then block it in the libraries.
I got out of the Army in 74, and went into driving full time until 92. From that point on, I drove a few months out of the year, primarily for various car carriers, including Horseless Carriage and Fleet Car.
I worked on Chatmag in my spare time, first as a hobby site, beginning in 98. When the truck stops put in the Internet Kiosks, I administered and updated it on the road, finally giving up the road just prior to Sept 11th.
Most of the drivers I know are "gadget freaks", with toys of all kinds for their CB's and trucks, with mobile phones being used almost from the beginning, moving on to laptops and Internet Kiosks. The first usage of satellite communications was designed by Qualcomm for the Energy Department, in their Nuclear transportation division. Satellite communication is now a part of most fleets, both common carrier and independents, integrating into the freight tracking systems. By the way, most satellite communication systems employ a modified laptop in the cab of the truck.
Driving gave me the time to think, to see the country, and to understand how everything fits together. It truly broadens one's horizon, in more ways than one.
There was a case in Canada a few years ago, with a "GeorgeK" filing suit against some Undernet IRC network users, "the co-defendants spoke falsely of him, thereby making other people in the IRC community dislike or distrust him."
From what I had read from the beginning, Mr. Novak had some problems best addressed by a counselor, rather than a lawyer.
"A lot" is two words.There will be a test after today's lesson.
This is not competent legal advise, just my understanding as a publisher, and a person who has been involved in the Internet for over 10 years. I will be in contact with a lawyer familiar with Internet law, if nothing else, just for my own education.
The infected user first downloaded Fizzer embedded within another file, presumably either on KaZaa, or via email attachment. KaZaa posts their Terms of Service, which includes the statement that any user understands they may also receive other files not included in any posting of file names, that is, they may also download malicious or other unwanted files, and that they do so at their own risk. At that point, should the user choose to download and run files, they have given their consent and assume responsibility.
Once the infected file is downloaded and opened, installing it into their computer, the infected file has a "call home" feature written into it by the author of Fizzer, which periodically allows the program to access a remote server to automatically update itself. There are many instances of legal programs which also have this feature, so the notion of a program "calling home" is generally understood to be an accepted action. (My HP does that, or did, until I disabled the port it uses) The program would then download any updates posted on the server, at the IP that is set within the program routine itself. This falls into the "implied consent" rule, as the user is allowing the program to do as it was intended.
In the case of the original Fizzer author, the intention was to give a malicious program updates which would sustain the operation of the program, causing further harm to other users and networks. By accessing the Geocities site, as provided within the Fizzer, and replacing the update with another series of commands that in effect disable Fizzer, any person placing such files would reasonably be acting within the original intent of the Fizzer author, that is to say, supplying updates to the existing program. That the update causes Fizzer to become disabled is of little consequence, as the user has by implied consent allowed any and all further modifications to be implemented to Fizzer. While it is the intent of the original author to cause harm, the persons responsible for the modification which in effect shuts down Fizzer are acting on the premise that they are doing so for the good of all.
The original Fizzer author also built into Fizzer the ability to connect to various IRC networks, and join particular chat rooms, in order to be further controlled by remote command. The end user, having consented to downloading and installing Fizzer, therefore by implied consent, agrees to allow any and all commands to be issued to their computer via said IRC channels. One example of remote cleaning of computers can be found at http://housecall.antivirus.com
The long and the short of it is, no one is "modifying" any computer, they are only carrying out the original authors intent of updating Fizzer. That it in effect causes Fizzer to cease to be of further harm is of benefit to all, and would be seen in most courts as an action for the common good. I am aware of several other less publicized actions taken of the same sort, this being the first of its kind as far as coverage by media. It is more a matter of ethics rather than a legal issue, I believe. Ethically, I think it is justified.
I think it is an innovative, and proper solution to a problem and may have far reaching effects beyond disabling one malicious program. The actions taken do raise legal issues, and with Internet Law a new field, quite a lot of what we do is new to the legal profession, and the law will adapt to this new medium, for the most part, borrowing from current legal precedents.
On another point, it would be fairly simple to track the original Fizzer author, Geocities should have the IP of whoever first set up the site. I can only hope they are cooperating with investigative agencies.