[Linux-aus] Google Linux OS coming..

[Kim Hawtin]

Bret Busby wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Jul 2009, David Newall wrote:
>> Bret Busby wrote:
>>> I am a webmaster for an organisation (one of the web sites that I
>>> administer).
>>>
>>> A couple of weeks ago, google decided to blacklist the web site.
>>>
>>> google declared the web site to be an attack web site, and blocked
>>> access to the web site.
>>>
>> That's not technically accurate.  Google don't have the facility to
>> block access to your website.  They can list is on their website as
>> harmful, but that isn't the same as blocking access, is it?
> 
> Yes it is.

No it is not. If the user has a clue, they can still copy the URL and paste
it into their browser and go to the site.

If they don't have a clue its probably better they didn't.

> It is a Denial Of Service attack, by blocking access to the site.

No, it is a recommendation. The user still has a choice, even if they don't understand
the technology.

Get off you high horse mate and stop playing the victim.
This is 2009 and there is more to managing a web site than pushing out HTML.

This kind of "service" of detecting "harmful" content is there because many people
are unaware of security issues or just lazy. If you are not prepared to maintain your
site in a responsible way, including all the issues around "harmful" javascript and
cross site scripting attacks then give the job to someone else.

The internet is not a simple place any more.

Heres a tip, don't work on email systems either because they are even more complex with
even bigger security problems.

regards,

Kim