BBC Botnet 'Reckless,' May Inspire Copycats.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/161312/bbc_botnet.html?tk=rss_news
Why is it OK for BBC and not McKinnon?
Tools to remove Conficker
,----[ Quote ]
| A number of antivirus software vendors, including Symantec, F-Secure and
| BitDefender, are now offering a dedicated tool to remove the Conficker worm.
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http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/134694
"There is such an overvaluation of technology stocks that it is absurd. I would
include our stock in that category. It is bad for the long-term worth of the
economy."
--Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO
Recent:
Holes in the machine
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| Conficker spreads through a security vulnerability in the Windows Server
| Service that allows a carefully written program to persuade the attacked
| computer to run malicious code instead of the Microsoft-written software.
|
| Once installed it turns off Windows Automatic Update and stops you using the
| Windows Security Centre. It disables a range of internal services that could
| be used by anti-malware programs, blocks access to a number of anti-virus
| websites and even resets and deletes system restore points so you can't go
| back to an uninfected installation of your operating system.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7946574.stm
BBC Click paid cybercrooks to buy botnet
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC Click used the botnet of 22,000 machine to send spam to webmail addresses
| it established and launch a denial of service attack against a test website
| by security firm PrevX which advised on the investigation. It then changed
| the wallpaper on compromised machines with a message of its own, advising
| affected users to clean up.
|
| The BBC reckons its actions were legal, but specialist technology lawyers
| contacted by El Reg disagreed. Struan Robertson, editor of out-law.com and
| legal director at solicitors Pinsent Masons, said that the BBC's actions were
| likely to have breached the unlawful access provision of the Computer Misuse
| Act, the UK's anti-hacking law. He added that there was no public interest
| defense against CMA offences.
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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/16/bbc_botnet_bought/
BBC zombie caper slammed by security pros
,----[ Quote ]
| A controversial BBC Click documentary which involved researchers obtaining
| access to a botnet and sending spam is due to screen this weekend despite a
| growing storm of criticism.
|
| Security experts - including McAfee, a firm whose representatives appear in
| the programme - have described the exercise as misguided and unnecessary.
| Legal experts contacted by El Reg reckon the show potentially breaches the
| unauthorised modifications provisions of the Computer Misuse Act, the UK's
| computer hacking law.
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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/13/bbc_botnet_analysis/
BBC programme broke law with botnets, says lawyer
,----[ Quote ]
| A BBC programme has broken the Computer Misuse Act by acquiring and using
| software to control 22,000 computers, creating a botnet capable of bringing
| down websites. A technology law specialist has said that the activity is
| illegal.
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http://www.out-law.com/page-9863
No Mac advice as BBC team exposes...its Windows-centricity (again)
,----[ Quote ]
| I don't want to address that here, but a different point: that nowhere in the
| article does the word “Windows” occur. And yet, I'd be willing to bet that
| none of those 22,000 machines ran GNU/Linux or Mac OS. Because the fact is,
| that the vast majority of machines on botnets are running Windows, and that
| this is yet another problem caused by the Microsoft monoculture.
|
| But nothing of this is mentioned in the BBC piece. Instead, it is presented
| as if botnets were some inevitable part of computing life – something you
| might get, just as you might catch a cold, because, hey, these things happen.
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http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/index.cfm?newsid=25395&pagtype=allchandate
Microsoft courts partners but rejects revival of Kangaroo
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft says it has no plans to revive the Kangaroo online video joint
| venture planned by British broadcasters but blocked for being
| anticompetitive. It follows a report that Ashley Highfield, the former chief
| executive of the Kangaroo, now at Microsoft, was talking to broadcasters
| about possible partnerships. A joint venture between MSN and ITV would be an
| interesting option.
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http://informitv.com/articles/2009/02/22/microsoftcourtspartners/
BBC recruits marketing chief from Microsoft
http://www.mad.co.uk/Logon/ArticleLogon.aspx?uiArticleID=56f35922-2876-446b-8fee-991e907c2972&uiNavigationItemID=&uiPageID=af417f3e-e0de-4486-b1dc-7e1568872fec&PipelinedPage=/BreakingNews/BreakingNews/Articles/56f359222876446b8fee991e907c2972/BBC-recruits-marketing-chief-from-Microsoft.html&PipelinedQueryString=uiArticleID%3d56f35922-2876-446b-8fee-991e907c2972%26uiNavigationItemID%3d2ed778fb-23d0-4416-99ab-44dc582f4bb4%26
http://tinyurl.com/b2c32u
Microsoft executive Sharon Baylay joins BBC
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/16/microsoft-sharon-baylay-bbc
BBC and Microsoft: Joined at the Hip?
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| Why doesn't Microsoft just take over the BBC and be done with it?
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http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2009/02/bbc-and-microsoft-joined-at-hip.html
Industry Moves: Microsoft Online Chief Baylay Joins BBC After Highfield’s
Arrival
,----[ Quote ]
| There’s an irony in this latest turn of the revolving door between the two
| organisations - Baylay had been with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) when former
| BBC/Kangaroo online chief Ashley Highfield was in November announced as MD
| and VP of Microsoft’s online and consumer business; her division merged with
| another. It also follows the earlier appointments of Erik Huggers and Jon
| Billings to the BBC’s future media team from Microsoft in 2007.
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http://www.paidcontent.co.uk/entry/419-industry-moves-microsoft-online-chief-baylay-joins-bbc-after-highfields/
Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far
,----[ Quote ]
| News publications are cautious about making accusations, and because of that,
| some nasty acts of Microsoft are essentially being erased from the record.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft convinced Baystar Capital to put $50 Million dollars into SCO's
| lawsuit against IBM and other Open Source users, and promised to "backstop"
| Baystar's investment if SCO lost money, according to this sworn testimony.
| But I'm told that one person's testimony, even sworn testimony, isn't proof.
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http://technocrat.net/no-cache/d/2008/7/30/46981
EU accuses Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| The European Commission has accused Microsoft of harming competition by
| bundling its Explorer web browser with its Windows operating system.
|
| The commission said it had reached the preliminary view that the US software
| giant had undermined consumer choice and infringed EU rules.
|
| Microsoft and the European Union have engaged in legal battles over
| competition issues for years.
|
| Last year, the EU fined Microsoft 899m euros ($1.4bn; £680.9m).
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http://ghanabusinessnews.com/2009/01/17/eu-accuses-microsoft/
Related:
BBC pinches hot new columnist from Microsoft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/14/bill_gates_bbc_secrets/
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vista
| could be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
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http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
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