[ubuntu-in] OT: Whats wrong - why so much FUD about Linux

[Ramnarayan.K]

Hi

This is a follow up from my earlier mail - about the crappy Ubuntu
review on BBC.

before you folk get your bazooka's and flamethrowers out - i suggest
you get a bit paranoid, and  yes they are out there to get just you.

Check the following article out - where supposedly Gizmodo had some
scareware on the ad's on their websites and the fault has been laid on
the admin's who were running "LInux production servers" (see entire
article below)

I have a few simple points to make which are
1. There is a covert and concerted effort to spread FUD (Fear,
Uncertainty, Doubt) about Linux and its various version, its not
surprising that newsites like BBC are doing this because they have a
history of being "embedded" with powerful forces

2.  There is an intent to make Linux look less than pleasant - the
same things that are said offensively can be said with a politer tone
if the intent was to be fair, and in the Ubuntu blog from BBC posted
earlier the author had no "Intent" to be nice to Ubuntu  and decided
to use the offensive way.

3. The problem i have with the article below is that is says nothing
about which types of OS / and OS folks that are vulnerable to the
scares promoted by scareware and neither does it lay the
responsibility on the people responsible for verifying that the ads
were from the corporartions they claimed to be be from. The Linux
admin's "blamed" for missing  the scareware is just one part of the
story.


ram

 BBC NEWS
Scareware launched from tech blog
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8328399.stm

Visitors to technology blog Gizmodo are being warned that they could
have picked up more than tips about the latest must-have gadget.

According to security firm Sophos, the website was delivering
advertisements "laced with malware" last week.

A statement on the Gizmodo website admits that it was tricked into
running Suzuki adverts which were in fact from hackers.

It follows a similar problem on the New York Times website.

Last month the New York Times' website was targeted by a gang of
hackers who purchased ad space on the site by posing as internet
telephone company, Vonage.

In both cases the adverts served up fake anti-virus software - known
as scareware.

Scareware attempts to convince users that their computer is infected
with viruses and trojans, and tricks them into downloading "remedies"
which are harmful and can be used by criminals to get at information
such as credit card details.

Really sorry

Gizmodo gets a huge amount of traffic with more than 3.1 million page
views per day.

It has issued an apology to readers.

"I'm really sorry but we had some malware running on our site in ad
boxes for a little while last week on Suzuki ads. They somehow fooled
our ad sales team through an elaborate scam.

"It's taken care of now, and only a few people should have been
affected, but this isn't something we take lightly as writers, editors
and tech geeks," it said in a statement on its site.

Blaming the fact that staff used Linux operating systems on their
production machines for "not noticing sooner", it advised concerned
users to load some up-to-date antivirus software and "make sure your
system is clean".

"By hitting one of the biggest blogs in the world, these hackers are
aiming high," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for
Sophos.

"What is particularly audacious about this plot is that the criminals
appear to have posed as legitimate representatives of Suzuki in order
to plant their dangerous code on Gizmodo's popular website," he added.

According to security firm Symantec more than 40 million people have
fallen victim to scareware scams in the past 12 months.

The firm has identified 250 versions of scareware and estimated that
criminals can earn more than £750,000 each a year via such scams.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/8328399.stm

Published: 2009/10/27 15:27:06 GMT

© BBC MMIX

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