[Linux-aus] A Current Affair Report on MyDoom Tonight

[Con Zymaris]

On Wed, Feb 04, 2004 at 09:19:40AM +0800, Leon Brooks wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Feb 2004 05:37, Robi Karp wrote:
> > There is simply no one, with enough presense,
> 
> ...or spellcheckers... (-:
> 
> > representing Open Source AS A WHOLE to call upon for comment.
> 
> > That's why we need a media office.  Now.
> 
> I'd think having a "Media" link to a separate page on LA would be a good 
> start, with an email link, a handful of small in-a-nutshell pages - 
> "What is Linux?" "What is Open Source?" "Who are Linux Australia?" - 
> and a list of press releases would be good.
> 
> Let's have a whack at a MyDoom release:
> 
> 2004-02-04  LINUX AUSTRALIA CONDEMNS VIRUS-FOR-PROFIT
> 
> Linux Australia today denounced the actions of "Andy", the author of the 
> MyDoom virus which purportedly attacked the websites of two prominent 
> IT companies.

I think you need to make it clear that 'Andy' is not Linux community 
background.

...

Linux Australia today denounced the actions of "Andy" and any others who 
spread malware such as the recent MyDoom virues. We note that MyDoom used 
the smokescreen of attacking Microsoft and SCO as a method for hiding its 
true intent, that of propogating a trojan with mass-spamming capabilities. 

...


> 
> "The virus appears to have been written with a commercial motive, in 
> particular to provide more relays for spam (internet junk mail) and 
> remote controlled 'zombies' which steal passwords as you type them and 
> wait quietly for instructions from their new [[overlords^W]]masters," 
> said Linux Australia [[SpokesGeek, Zaphod Beeblebrox]].

...

MyDoom was traced by anti-virus vendor Kasperksy Labs to commercial 
spammers in Russia. 

...

> 
> "That the author and sponsor were prepared to interrupt and degrade the 
> lives of millions of people for profit is reprehensible enough by 
> itself, but to target a pointless attack on two companies which have a 
> history of themselves attacking and undermining the efforts of the 
> vigorously constructive and productive Open Source community really 
> does add insult to injury.
> 
> "Those companies can now show justification, however tenuous, for taking 
> the spotlight off their own criminal activities and using it to create 
> a new, nonexistent 'hacker threat' which they must restrict your rights 
> in order to combat.
> 
> "The reality is that every such restriction destroys the Internet a 
> little bit. Creative projects such as WikiPedia do not work if you 
> place a toll-gate or a membership barrier before them.
> 


cull the following...

> "In launching these attacks, and in choking people's inboxes with 
> unwanted and annoying filth, the greedy spammers are inviting a 
> reaction from some of the more avaricious and controlling corporations 
> which will poison the waterhole for us all.


> 
> "There are now over 85,000 known Microsoft-related viruses and a handful 

there are several thousand for the Mac...

> for everyone else (none of them effective against any current Linux 
> system). A new one isn't going to prove any point, it's not going to 
> make a hero of the author, it's just going to be one more pebble 
> building towards an avalanche of negative reaction.

the above is fairly hyperbolic. I think that rather than fire-side chat, 
we should ensure that journos know and are made doubly certain that this 
as much an attack on the Linux communitie's reputation as anything else. 

> 
> "If we have any word for the creator of MyDoom, it's 'please don't ever 
> do anything like this again'. If you want to be creative, be 

this isn't going to make a lick of difference adding this in, What else 
can we add to make a punchy conclusion.

-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
Con Zymaris <conz at cyber.com.au> Level 4, 10 Queen St, Melbourne, Australia 
Cybersource: Australia's Leading Linux and Open Source Solutions Company 
Web: http://www.cyber.com.au/  Phone: 03 9621 2377   Fax: 03 9621 2477