Where Can I Buy a Zombie PC?

  • Thread starter Thread starter NoStop
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NoStop

The answer is ... pretty much anywhere. If you can purchase a PC that runs
Windoze XP, you've got the potential to have your very own Zombie PC.

"Four-fifths of spam now emanates from computers contaminated with Trojan
horse infections, according to a study by network management firm Sandvine
out this week. Trojans and worms with backdoor components such as Migmaf
and SoBig have turned infected Windows PCs into drones in vast networks of
compromised zombie PCs.

Sandvine reckons junk mails created and routed by "spam Trojans" are
clogging ISP mail servers, forcing unplanned network upgrades and stoking
antagonism between large and small ISPs."

Full article here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/04/trojan_spam_study/


--
WGA is the best thing that has happened for Linux in a while.

The ULTIMATE Windoze Fanboy:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2370205018226686613

Is this a modern day equivalent of a Nazi youth rally?:

http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg

A 3D Linux Desktop (video) ...


View Some Common Linux Desktops ...
http://shots.osdir.com/
 
 
Its still ture today!

Unless you patch your OS, Windows or the 31 flavor crap OS, you will be
prone to problems.

More misinformation from the 31 flavor idiots.
 
Ground Cover wrote:

http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,3
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,4
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,5
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,6
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,7

https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/rh-desktop-4-errata.html

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Q_21418532.html
Click to expand...

very interesting - if you go to the root page of most of those sites, they
don't exist. So I take this "redhack" and "zone-h" with a HUGE pinch of
scepticism.
Funny all those supposed attacks haven't been reported elsewhere, isn't it?
 
You mean like this:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Security/Linux_Security/Q_21243561.html
Click to expand...
No I don't mean like that you Wintard. There's a big difference between a
website being hacked and turning a computer into a zombie pc. But an idiot
like you wouldn't know the difference.


--
WGA is the best thing that has happened for Linux in a while.

The ULTIMATE Windoze Fanboy:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2370205018226686613

Is this a modern day equivalent of a Nazi youth rally?:

http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg

A 3D Linux Desktop (video) ...


View Some Common Linux Desktops ...
http://shots.osdir.com/
 
Gordon said:
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,3
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,4
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,5
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,6
http://www.zone-h.org/component/option,com_attacks/Itemid,43/filter_defacer,redhack/page,7
Click to expand...
Again, you're just going to have to learn the difference between a simple
website defacement and the actual taking over control of ones pc. Taking
over a website and defacing it doesn't mean there was any sort of inherent
security shortcomings. If I can guess a webmaster's password ... say
through a dictionary attack ... I can easily gain ftp access to that
website's files and make changes to the files. That is a TOTALLY different
thing that having a trojan installed on your pc allowing for some outsider
to take control of your pc and use it for illegal purposes.

You know, you really should understand something about computers before you
post your useless conter-attacks.

https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/rh-desktop-4-errata.html

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Q_21418532.html
Click to expand...

ditto for the above links. Clueless Wintard trying to attack Linux with such
silliness.



--
WGA is the best thing that has happened for Linux in a while.

The ULTIMATE Windoze Fanboy:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2370205018226686613

Is this a modern day equivalent of a Nazi youth rally?:

http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg

A 3D Linux Desktop (video) ...


View Some Common Linux Desktops ...
http://shots.osdir.com/
Click to expand...
 
Q. What wastes ones time and annoys for no good reason?
A. Linux guy who doesn't know where to post.

Q. If Linux is "so great" why are you spending your time at
msnews.microsoft.com ??
A. Because Linux isn't all that great.

Q. If Linux is so great why doesn't everyone adopt it?
A. Because linux isn't all that great.

Q. Where shoud a Linux Advocate post advocacy?
A. A Linux Advocacy newsgroup.

Now, quit trolling and go do something useful like helping someone who
depended on the Linux Apache combo and now who's websites are hacked.
Perhaps you might help them migrate to Windows Server 2003.
 
What a idiot.

"Again, you're just going to have to learn the difference between a simple
website defacement and the actual taking over control of ones pc. Taking
over a website and defacing it doesn't mean there was any sort of inherent
security shortcomings."
 
Ground said:
Troll.
Click to expand...

You realize that's an ad hominem, don't you?

It's clear you have no argument, or you'd set it forth. Dismissing him
does not dismiss the argument he has made, no matter how much you wish
it so.

Try again?

rl
--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

If you ever need some proof that time can heal your wounds,
just step inside my heart and walk around these rooms;
where the shadows used to be.... Mary Chapin Carpenter
 
The lame stupidity sometimes drives me too far I admit - my apologies to all
OE users who post and read here.

He's assuming that the Linux boxes were not actually compromised. But they
were, in fact, copromised and the websites were mangled to less and to more
extents. The cited website gives no description of the actual hack .. and if
it were just password guesses, well, that's a lot of guessed passwords,
don't you think?

Here's a good article:

http://weblogs.asp.net/rreese/archive/2004/03/04/83971.aspx
 
Ground said:
The lame stupidity sometimes drives me too far I admit - my apologies
to all OE users who post and read here.

He's assuming that the Linux boxes were not actually compromised. But
they were, in fact, copromised and the websites were mangled to less
and to more extents. The cited website gives no description of the
actual hack .. and if it were just password guesses, well, that's a
lot of guessed passwords, don't you think?

Here's a good article:

http://weblogs.asp.net/rreese/archive/2004/03/04/83971.aspx
Click to expand...

Thank you.

rl
--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

If you ever need some proof that time can heal your wounds,
just step inside my heart and walk around these rooms;
where the shadows used to be.... Mary Chapin Carpenter
 
Ground said:
You mean like this:
Click to expand...

Please don't feed the trolls. (And everyone knows that if the Register
ever printed/published a fact, the editor responsible was canned the
very next day.)


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
The lame stupidity sometimes drives me too far I admit - my apologies to
all OE users who post and read here.

He's assuming that the Linux boxes were not actually compromised. But they
were, in fact, copromised and the websites were mangled to less and to
more extents. The cited website gives no description of the actual hack ..
and if it were just password guesses, well, that's a lot of guessed
passwords, don't you think?
Click to expand...
Yes of course that was a lot of guessed passwords. But in case you didn't
know there hare cracker tools that do just that and VERY quickly. It isn't
some Wintard sitting at his computer trying this one and then that one.
Here's a good article:

http://weblogs.asp.net/rreese/archive/2004/03/04/83971.aspx
Click to expand...

What's so good about an article from a M$ shill that doesn't back up her
allegations? Go to a reputable place like CERT to find out what's really
happening in terms of online security.



--
WGA is the best thing that has happened for Linux in a while.

The ULTIMATE Windoze Fanboy:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2370205018226686613

Is this a modern day equivalent of a Nazi youth rally?:

http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg

A 3D Linux Desktop (video) ...


View Some Common Linux Desktops ...
http://shots.osdir.com/
 
Ground Cover

"Windows" OS has world dominance in business and home
computing not because it is superiour technically to other
OS's such as Mac, UNIX, Linux, FreeBSD, etc..., for indeed
it is inferior technically because it is a DOS based OS, even
although DOS is a powerfu language, but Windows
dominance is because MS and Bill Gates in particular were
very cleaver from the beginning in getting the hardware
companys on board from day one, and providing business
with a support structure, that often lacks to this day in other
OS's, business needs certainty in IT operations that is what
MS offered, some might say but did not deliver all that well.

Lets look at the Sony HomeBetaMAX (beta) and Victor
Company of Japan (JVC) VHS format battle in the home
video tape battle. The reasion why VHS won over BetaMAX
(Beta) was simply that JVC signed up more hardware
manufacturers than Sony did. The fact that VHS has a
simpler tape transport control system, helped of course, but
ultimately the share weight of hardware manufactures using
the VHS format won the day. To this day we all know that
BetaMAX (Beta) is technically superior especially when
using flying head insert editing, etc. but VHS have over the
years managed an increase in tape transport control and
included acceptable insert editing.etc.

OP was pointing out that many home PC are under "Alien"
control and sending spam, etc to an unsuspecting world.

This is a fact and most disturbing is that these innocent little
home PC's may often be involved is very nasty operations
without their owners knowledge.

"online security" at present and into the forseeable future,
there really is no such thing.

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance"

Remember never trust a computer they have no morals.

Watch out for the "Zombie" Computers they are everywhere.
 
To a great extent that is true.

You also forgot a few points.

The little PC running MS-DOS, security wasn't a concern. The idea was to
have a "little" computer that could be used to type up stuff, do a bit of
"Basic" or even run a spreadsheet [e.g. Lotus 1 2 3]. The Internet came
along and one could also hook up the PC XT so that it could send and receive
email etc.

But security was not a concern. There were hardly any viruses at first ..
and these usually had to be physcially introduced by, say, 5 1/4 infloppy
disk.

The smallness, affordability, simplicity and, importantly, the support all
combined to make for a success. A run away success.

And Microsoft eventullay got around to putting a windowing system on these
early machines. But the Windows ran on DOS.

There was a decided naivete to the whole thing. Like Pearl Habour on
December 5th or New York on September 10.

Microsoft and many many others were having a great time too - like a
prosperous and growing town everyone could take a shot and see if they could
make it big - and then came two things: the World Wide Web followed shortly
after by "Chicago" - Windows 95.

Windows 95 was the most successful and wonderful mistake ever envisioned by
humankind. It succeeded getting half the world using PCs and on the
Internet. It show a lot of people about computers. It made more more people
billionaires and millionaires than you could shake a stick at. It
demonstrated some of the almost "miracle" like things computers could do and
get up to .. and ....... it ran on DOS ., [hense the mistake]. Microsoft, by
rights, had they not have to worry about competition etc. etc. should have
waited until they had a Windows 2000 like system ready and had spent some
time in considerable consideration of security and privacy.

But what's done was done. And it really was no one's fault. Most all of us
made the demands. We wanted computers and the Internet "now". We accepted,
no, almost begged, scratched and pleaded for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft
Office and other Microsoft products - we all dumped Netscape Navigator like
some filthy rag - we wanted the flush buttons and smooth scrolling - and the
flash for the websites. We were having a whale of a time.

Then the storms of viruses, excessive pronography, scams and malware which
hit some poeple like hurrican Katrina.

To be honest, I only ever caught one malware -as far as I know - and that
was when I ignored a call to install a certain patch for if I were running
Windows 2000 with IIS installed. But, otherwise I had already done some
reading etc. and was not one likely to fall for the "screensaver" in the
email. And since I had been involved with JavaScript, I had decided early on
to turn it off [a bit ironic - I knew how to code it, so I browse default
with it off].

Many of Microsoft's problems, security-wise, is its users. They want
JavaScript ON. They want Java ON .. always. They want ActiveX ON.
Vulnerabilites get identified and patched, but the user .. the user wants to
see the dancing bunnies - at all costs - and there's not much can be done. A
PC owner has the right to run as root. The install routine can make "users"
but at some point the software company has to "hand over the keys" so to
speak. Yet there's no requirement that the PC owner have ever read even a
magazine article on how to run the thing ..

... Anway, the storm has abated somewhat.

XP SP2 was released. The number of extememe vulnerabilities discovered in
Windows this past year is way fewer than say found in 2004. Many users are
much more circumscript in their behaviour. And Linux still hasn't found the
vendor support it needs for to "take the desktop" [and it probably never
will] so Microsoft - not having to look over its shoulder- has been taking
its time with Vista.

Vista will try - and will probably succeed - to rectify the security
situation through an alert system [and without fanfare, running some of
software e.g. Internet Explorer with only user privileges even if an
Adminstrator is logged on]. Vista will probably substantially reduce the
impact of malware much further than XP SP2.

So there you have it. No matter what Microsoft or Linus Torvalds does,
someone is going to log on as "root", regardless, and run
/bin/dancing_bunnies and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

But with firewalls and care and Vista, the rest of us have a better chance
at mitgating the impact.

 

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