phendric

Originally Posted by AKAJohnDoe

Cool? Hardly. I have zero respect for this. And it most certainly is immaturity. Destroying the whole site would have been more malicious is all. It seems that the skills that need developing are human.

I agree. 150%.

P

DaLabrador

Microsoft is notoriously slow at patching security holes in their OS:es (they're not the only ones). They can be aware of flaws in their implementations (the "good" hackers report their findings directly to the software companies) for months that they don't patch. After a while some of the security entusiasts release proof-of-concept code that demonstrates how the hole might be (ab)used to force the affected software companies to address the issue.
This behaviour actually benefits all of us, since the malicious hackers (emphasis on malicious) would roam free and do hell of a lot more damage if the companies weren't forced to patch holes (And, we all know that some software companies is only in it for the dough).

While this somewhat childish prank might seem totally unnecessary it exposed a flaw that could have been used to, for instance, change the URL to point to something really malicious, and the "hole(s)" is(are) forced to be patched.

It might have been the wrong way of doing it, but if no serious damage was done (except to the trust of the server admin/site from the public), he made life for us, the users, more secure, and if he go around bragging about it or simply feels smug, I say: no serious harm done.

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AlbaJoe

Originally Posted by DaLabrador

Microsoft is notoriously slow at patching security holes in their OS:es (they're not the only ones). They can be aware of flaws in their implementations (the "good" hackers report their findings directly to the software companies) for months that they don't patch. After a while some of the security entusiasts release proof-of-concept code that demonstrates how the hole might be (ab)used to force the affected software companies to address the issue. This behaviour actually benefits all of us, since the malicious hackers (emphasis on malicious) would roam free and do hell of a lot more damage if the companies weren't forced to patch holes (And, we all know that some software companies is only in it for the dough). While this somewhat childish prank might seem totally unnecessary it exposed a flaw that could have been used to, for instance, change the URL to point to something really malicious, and the "hole(s)" is(are) forced to be patched. It might have been the wrong way of doing it, but if no serious damage was done (except to the trust of the server admin/site from the public), he made life for us, the users, more secure, and if he go around bragging about it or simply feels smug, I say: no serious harm done.

I agree 152%.

AKAJohnDoe

I'll be over to TP your trees later tonight. No harm done, right?

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AlbaJoe

Originally Posted by AKAJohnDoe

I'll be over to TP your trees later tonight. No harm done, right?

LOL

I try to be lateral in my thinking. Forgive me if you are under the impression that I whole heartedly condone or encourage these types of activities but as I have said in my previous posts these people have their uses. I think the Utopia of no-one commiting IT crime is simply something that will never happen and we have to use everything in our armoury to combat the more serious offenders. As I said 'use a criminal to catch a criminal'.

P.S. Would you mind cutting the grass when you are there :approve:

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Moe (Simpsons) on judgement day:

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