Re: Ben Edelman: Non-Consensual 180 Installations Continue

[Kevin McAleavey <kevinmca () nsclean com>]

 Heh. No. really? Well, I s'pose we ought to at least give this reporter a "New York Times" award for at least hearing 
a cluephone ringing.   :)

 LEGITIMATE COMPANIES control the banners and the installs themselves and NEVER accept "partners" to do so for them. 
Google toolbar comes to mind here. So Ben Edelman ... COME ON DOWN! Heh.

At 10:00 AM 2/20/06, Unca Fergie wrote:
> Kudos, Ben Edelman.
>
> [snip]
>
> On Friday morning (February 17), I received a nonconsensual installation of 180solutions Zango software through a 
> security exploit. I was browsing an ordinary commercial web site, when I got a popup from exitexchange.com (a major US 
> ad network, with headquarters in Portland, Oregon) . The popup sent me to a third-party's web site. (I'll call that 
> third party "X" for convenience.)
>
> Then X ran a series of exploits to take control of my test PC, including using the widely-reported WMF exploit 
> uncovered last month. Once X took control of my PC, X caused my computer to install and run 180solutions Zango 
> software, among a dozen other programs. Notably, X fully installed 180's Zango without me taking any action whatsoever 
> -- without me clicking "I agree," "Yes," "Finish," or any other button of any kind. X installed 180's Zango despite 
> 180's new "S3" protections, intended to block these nonconsensual installations.
>
> Most aspects of this installation are remarkably standard. "Adware" installations through security exploits are all 
> too common. And it's not that unusual to see traffic flowing through an ad network -- even a big US ad network.
>
> But what's newsworthy here is that 180solutions got installed, even though 180 last year told the world that these 
> nonconsensual installations were impossible. Effective January 1, 2006, all 180solutions distributors were required to 
> switch to 180's "S3" installer.
>
> [snip]
>
> Much more here:
> http://www.benedelman.org/news/022006-1.html
>
> - ferg
>
>
>
> --
> "Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
> Engineering Architecture for the Internet
> fergdawg () netzero net or fergdawg () sbcglobal net
> ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts.
> https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec
> Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.

----------------------------------------------------
 Kevin McAleavey at your service
 Privacy Software Corporation
 http://www.nsclean.com
 kevinmca () nsclean com

_______________________________________________
Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts.
https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec
Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.