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Thieves Winning Online War, Maybe Even in Your Computer (NY Times)

Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]


Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:17:28 -0500

[Article in NYTimes by John Markoff, via the RISKS Digest]

Despite the efforts of the computer security industry and a half-decade
struggle by Microsoft to protect its Windows operating system, malicious
software is spreading faster than ever. The so-called malware
surreptitiously takes over a PC and then uses that computer to spread
more malware to other machines exponentially. Computer scientists and
security researchers acknowledge they cannot get ahead of the onslaught.

(Full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/technology/internet/06security.html)

Gosh, that last sentence has me all terrified. "Cannot get ahead of the onslaught", even.

I remember the last time I had a virus. I downloaded it, compiled it (in a chroot-jail sandbox, just in case), and played with it for a bit - it created a neat little "/tmp/.bliss" log file for me to read. Then, I ran it again with an option that told it to go away, and it was gone.

It didn't make me feel onslaughtered (I think that's the proper verb... <barbie_mode>English is *hard!</barbie_mode>) at all. I don't know what those other people's problem is.

Seriously - it's a badly-written article, with lots of name dropping and little actual research. The author doesn't even mention Linux (or BSD, or any options beyond OS/X.) The general point is that the Bad Guys are making lots of money ripping off the poor little users... but this is just the same old three-card monty multiplied by a few million naive hayseeds just off the train. Yep, there are more con men and more suckers, as well as more unsuspecting mules. [shrug] It's called a "growing population" and "better communications". That, as always, presumes either A) an increased ability to swim with the sharks or B) accepting, however unwillingly, your role as an hors d'oeuvre . There is no option C - and never has been.

I guess the NYT needs some low-calorie filler for their Technology section once in a while...

-- 
* Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *


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Deividson Okopnik [deivid.okop at gmail.com]


Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:18:58 -0300

2008/12/22 Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net>:

> [Article in NYTimes by John Markoff, via the RISKS Digest]

...

> Seriously - it's a badly-written article, with lots of name dropping and
> little actual research. The author doesn't even mention Linux (or BSD,
> or any options beyond OS/X.) The general point is that the Bad Guys are
> making lots of money ripping off the poor little users... but this is
> just the same old three-card monty multiplied by a few million naive
> hayseeds just off the train. Yep, there are more con men and more
> suckers, as well as more unsuspecting mules. [shrug] It's called a
> "growing population" and "better communications". That, as always,
> presumes either A) an increased ability to swim with the sharks or B)
> accepting, however unwillingly, your role as an hors d'oeuvre . There
> is no option C - and never has been.
>
> I guess the NYT needs some low-calorie filler for their Technology
> section once in a while...

Reviewing that article would provide some good material for a LG article - And that really makes me wonder if he gets some cash from M$ or he didn't ever heard of Linux...


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Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]


Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:06:32 -0500

On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 01:18:58PM -0300, Deividson Okopnik wrote:

> 2008/12/22 Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net>:
> > [Article in NYTimes by John Markoff, via the RISKS Digest]
> 
> > I guess the NYT needs some low-calorie filler for their Technology
> > section once in a while...
> 
> Reviewing that article would provide some good material for a LG
> article - And that really makes me wonder if he gets some cash from M$
> or he didn't ever heard of Linux...

Oh, I think it's a case of "ignorance/stupidity before malice". Malice takes effort and intent (barring a few truly disturbed individuals); ignorance and stupidity are as common as hydrogen. Also, I find that assuming the former rather than the latter creates a bit more peace of mind.

I'm only annoyed because I expected NYT to do a bit more fact-checking, a little journalistic integrity.

-- 
* Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *


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