Geo: Take a look
 

Hacker Alert for Sunday

Thought I'd post this just in case. After all, PBW is one of the most important sites around.

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

the allert is for Sunday but i feel they have already started, (I think), as I have had trouble hitting 2 pages here and 2 others on the web.

[ July 02, 2003, 23:28: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

Yes, I just heard it on CNN.

Apparently there is a contest to see who can disrupt the most websites on Sunday.

It goes without saying that hackers attempt to disrupt websites all the time. But if they all come out in force (including the wanna-be hackers), and if they are using this time to prepare for the assault (such as new programs etc), well there could be significant damage done to a lot of sites on Sunday.

I don't know how much of this is really an issue. There must be millions and millions of websites. So how many can hackers affect?

Maybe a lot, if a large number of hackers are using a automated programs which do not require hands on by the hacker.

If this is a "significant" threat, I personally would have no problems with the shutting down the forum and other SE4 sites as well as PBW for the day. Others may feel differently.

I think the issues which must be addressed are:
1) Is this a significant threat?
2) If it is, what action should be taken to minimize it.

Maybe Geoschmo can shed some light on this when he gets more information.

[ July 03, 2003, 00:27: Message edited by: tbontob ]

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

Just make a CD backup. If the site gets demolished, no biggie - you can blank everything and restore from backup; you're down for a day, tops. For added safety, set the password to a bunch of random numbers and letters (which you write down!); random numbers & letters aren't subject to dictionary attacks, so the site will be a little safer.

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

If someone with the talent really wanted to, he/she could take over about 90% of the web servers on the planet in about 5 minutes... security is not really very good.

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

Yeah, everyone, myself included tends to whine about exploits/bugs/openings in the Microsoft OS. But someone once told me that the real lack of security is in the UNIX backbone of major systems. They gave me some examples, and all I can say is http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif Administrators just don't put the effort they should in security, and the various UNIX implemetations just aren't designed to be secure from the ground up.

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif 90% of the web servers on the planet in 5 minutes? That's a lot of servers! Or do you mean 5 minutes to take over one of them?

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

As I read this thread my OS is updating automatically with new security software. Funny, someone seems to actually be taking this seriously.

I remember about 10 years ago there was a news warning NOT TO FLASH your head lights at cars that were driving without there lights on after dark because they were gang bangers. The warning stated that if you flashed the gang bangers they would follow you and shoot at you.

You know what a bunch of people did? Yup you guessed it, many dumb asses went out and drove with their lights off just to be capital A-one dicks. While others actually turned and followed cars after being flashed and some people, the redneck extremists, grabbed guns and hailed this as a war and went out looking for the gang bangers. But most did what I did and just drove normally without fear. If the news story was true, and I sincerely doubt it was, then it was a news hoax or a regular hoax. Even if it were true and there were dumb *** gang bangers out to do people harm, the chances of it happening to me or any one I knew were slim and falling.

Even if one of those gang bangers tried to shoot at one of my friends, they would have lost their lives for most of my friends, lawful people all them, pack heat and are expert shots.

I would put very little into this story. IF anything happens its because a bunch of dumb Fu** kid hackers didn't get the message that it was a hoax and figured they just didn't get the hacker memo on the Sunday circle hack. People are really dumb at times to believe what they see on TV.

If I were to send a letter to a major news organization stating that I was a hacker and my hacker minions and me are going to hack the planet on Sunday, they would run the story. It is all a joke, but the real hackers don't know this so they think "hey, I had better get in this." Thus without being a hacker I have just started a hacker event.

Using he media against itself is as easy as making stupid people do stupid things.

[ July 03, 2003, 06:29: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This isn't quite accurate. The problem with Real Operating Systems is that you need Real Skilled People to set them up right. Most flavors of Unix, and most distros of Linux, can be made extraordinarily secure. I believe, Last I heard, that NetBSD was considered the most secure Operating System in existence and I know it runs a great deal, if not most, of the internet.

The problem with MS OSs is that no matter how tight your admin is, no matter how skilled, paranoid, and persistent s/he is, once or twice a year a Big Exploit comes out that completely circumvents all your security.

With Real Operating Systems you can have security, it's just going to cost you. You've got to find a truly qualified individual and pay them to config, patch, update, reconfig, and otherwise fortify it.

[ July 03, 2003, 11:01: Message edited by: Loser ]

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

IMHO...IF these people (hackers) would STOP doing the stupid things and work to improve the system where do you think we would be?
These people need to get a life (play SEIV)

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

Hell 90% of all the virus programs out come from companies like McAfee and Sysmetic. We all know they are the ones making virus just to propetuate their products.

"Hacking is not a science, it is a sport."

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You are starting to sound like me (cynical). Heck, I wonder if the tissue manufacturers put a chemical on their tissues to induce an additional need to blow your nose ( http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif )

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

Here is the PCworld article on it:
Caution, you will get pop unders
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111438,00.asp

A couple of blurbs from the page:
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually I do not know that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

As far as I know, no real proof has been given in support of this contention.

Personally, I think even if the companies had thought about it, they would consider the risk too great for any potential gain.

It takes people to create viruses. People talk. The resulting scandal would probably ruin the company and subject them to lawsuits as well. Like who would want to buy their product...I certainly wouldn't.

It reminds me of the assertions made against the US car manufacturers and oil companies about 30 or so years ago.

A lot of people believed that they were buying up inventions which would significantly increase auto mileage and deep-sixing them in order to maintain gasoline sales. Increased efficiency claims like doubling or trippling mileage were not uncommon for these so-called devices/additives.

A moments thought would have allowed a person to realize that this was probably not true. The only way to protect an invention is to register it in the patents office. Yet, to register such a patent and not use it to double or triple mileage would be proof of the assertion.

Since such patents were not registered and deep-sixed, the road was open to other inventors to create similiar devices/additives. Or the original inventor could pass on the idea to another inventor to extract even more money out of the companies.

With the fuel crisis, the need to conserve non-renewable resources and the government regulations for fuel economy, such inventions/additives would be a gold mine to these companies. Yet, there has been no leaps and bounds in fuel efficiency. Just a kilometer or two here and a half kilometer there over the years.

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I meant all of them...

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

Just getting mentioned on the news is all that they wanted. Everything else is gravy...

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, Last night I read at /. what the real issue was. San Francisco newspapers were alleging a major hack from some shadowy group. Now I find out its just a Online contest sort of thing to deface websites.

Now I know it's hard work to repair a damaged website. And a small company can lose revenue if it loses its website even for a few days. But seriously, for one day, Pepsi claims Coke is the choice of the new generation, or the HP website links to pr0n. So what.

Re: Geo: Take a look
 

If it's really an Online contest, I want links to where it's posted. If it were posted anywhere there would be links to it at /. I'm wondering if the whole thing wasn't just the invention of some journalist who now depends on it happening because of the publicity.

It will happen, now, of course. All the little Script Kiddies of the world will be enough to cause disruption, not to mention 'actual' Hackers working their trade. And this is assuming there isn't really a semi-organized effort by elite troublemakers to outdo each other.

Chaos, desolation, pLastic forks.