[tags]malicious code, wikipedia, trojan horse,spyware[/tags]
Frankly, I am surprised it has taken this long for something like this to happen: Malicious code planted in Wikipedia.
The malicious advertisement on MySpace from a while back was a little similar.  Heck, there were trojan archives posted on the Usenet binary groups over 20 years ago that also bring this back to mind—I recall an instance of a file damage program being posted as an anti-virus update in the early 1980s!

Basically, anyone seeking “victims” for spyware, trojans, or other nastiness wants effective propagation of code.  So, find a high-volume venue that has a trusting and or naive user population, and find a way to embed code there such that others will download it or execute it.  Voila!

Next up: viruses on YouTube?

[posted with ecto]

Once again, Scott Adams cuts to the heart of the matter.  Here’s a great explanation of what’s what with electronic voting machines.

The Dilbert Blog: Electronic Voting Machines

Someone sent the following to me as an example of how to ensure secure passwords

Microsoft claims this message is an error.  However, I think we all can see this is simply a form of extreme password security of the sort I wrote about in this post.

In my earlier posts on passwords, I noted that I approach on-line password “vaults” with caution.  I have no reason to doubt that the many password services, secure email services, and other encrypted network services are legitimate.  However, I am unable to adequately verify that such is the case for anything I would truly want to protect.  It is also possible that some employee has compromised the software, or a rootkit has been installed, so even if the service was designed to be legitimate, it is nonetheless compromised without the rightful owners knowledge.

For a similar reason, I don’t use the same password at multiple sites—I use a different password for each, so if one site is “dishonest” (or compromised) I don’t lose security at all my sites.

For items that I don’t value very much, the convenience of an online vault service might outweigh my paranoia—but that hasn’t happened yet.

Today I ran across this:
MyBlackBook [ver 1.85 live] - Internet’s First Secure & Confidential Online Sex Log!

My first thought is “Wow!  What a way to datamine information on potential hot dates!”  

That quickly led to the realization that this is an *incredible* tool for collecting blackmail information.  Even if the people operating it are legit (and I have no reason to doubt that they are anything but honest), this site will be a prime target for criminals.

It may also be a prime target for lawyers seeking information on personal damages, divorce actions, and more.

My bottom line: don’t store things remotely online, even in “secure” storage, unless you wouldn’t mind that they get published in a blog somewhere—or worse.  Of course, storing online locally with poor security is not really that much better…..

See this account of how someone modified some roadside signs that were password protected.  Oops!  Not the way to protect a password.  Even the aliens know that.

ZUG: Comedy Articles: Electronic Road Signs and Me: