tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post8684170969482967372..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: These are the Informations we needJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-5361955369881002272008-02-26T14:54:00.000-06:002008-02-26T14:54:00.000-06:00David, I don't watch L&O:SUV much. I've caught a f...David, I don't watch L&O:SUV much. I've caught a few episodes and it seems like a good show, but I just never got into it. But, yeah, your humble PD doing an IP trace to end user in real time without having to go through the ISP... suuure.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Eric, "antediluvian" heh heh. I used to subscribe to <I>Byte</I> strictly for <I>Computing at Chaos Manor</I> and I miss it. I was a paid subscriber to Pournelle's site for about a year, but I just find the layout so damned aggravating that I can't stand it.<BR/><BR/>Plus he's attracted a rather large Hawklike following and that puts me off a bit - then again, he is an expert on conservative politics and government, so I do pay attention. I've met his son in passing, he's a Navy Officer, and we were in San Diego at the same time. Seems like a rather cool chap, Alex Pournelle He's commented on Scalzi's site a few times about his father and Niven, and I thought his comments were intelligent and insightful and funny when it comes to Niven.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-52406969437611163422008-02-26T14:19:00.000-06:002008-02-26T14:19:00.000-06:00Ja, Pournelle's site needs an overhaul. I respect...Ja, Pournelle's site needs an overhaul. I respect that he's an antediluvian presence on the web, but does his site have to <I>look</I> like it? I don't visit his site regularly, and was a little shocked when Googling the Mordor spam bit took me to a site that didn't seem to have changed since '02.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47406272555359811612008-02-26T14:03:00.000-06:002008-02-26T14:03:00.000-06:00My favorite was seeing it in an episode of Law & O...My favorite was seeing it in an episode of <I>Law & Order: SVU</I>, where the perp had an IP address starting with 398 (which I guess is kinda like 555 for phone numbers) and they were able to run it right to their physical address. And it wasn't even the NSA! The humble NYPD doing that from some detective's desk!David Klechahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18294981356889237568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81846777815795875922008-02-26T13:56:00.000-06:002008-02-26T13:56:00.000-06:00"Okay, we have a trace going now, Sir," said the s..."Okay, we have a trace going now, Sir," said the steely eyed technician pouncing on keys at his station.<BR/><BR/>The man with all the metal on his shoulders and scrambled eggs on his hat smiled grimly. "Great, tell me where that bastard is," he said, leaning forward in his command seat, accidentally pushing the button on the arm rest that signaled the stewards to bring more coffee.<BR/><BR/>The technician sat up straighter, "Sir, he's at 208.138.125.52."<BR/><BR/>"WTF does that mean?!" exploded the commander, waving madly at the display screen of all the US internet trunk lines.Steve Buchheithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12999709767641212586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-76475211783784759932008-02-26T11:31:00.000-06:002008-02-26T11:31:00.000-06:00Eric, You are correct, sir. Sadly, I am pretty fa...Eric, <BR/><BR/>You are correct, sir. Sadly, I am pretty familiar with most of these scams, I worked and lectured in the field of Information Warfare for a long time and I used to use some examples of this particular scam (the Spanish Prisoner updated for the electronic age) in my lectures.<BR/><BR/>I've read the Pournelle post, and I visit Chaos Manor once in a while, but man I've got to tell you - the man's site give me a freakin' headache. I've got an extensive background in tech and compsci, but I wouldn't presume to give the good Dr. advice on it, he's been doing it since Noah was shoveling dino shit over the Ark's gunwales. But seriously, somebody needs to overhaul that site and move Old Jerry into the 21st century of web design.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-41679735878654553072008-02-26T11:10:00.000-06:002008-02-26T11:10:00.000-06:00Nathan, you get someone who's hard up (and maybe n...Nathan, you get someone who's hard up (and maybe not too educated), and they <I>want</I> to believe something like that is true. That maybe they really did get lucky for a change. Or maybe if it's not really on the up-and-up, it's still the <I>bank's</I> mistake, not theirs.<BR/><BR/>And, not infrequently, the ultimate scam is set up so that it briefly <I>looks</I> like the sucker is really getting something for nothing: a deposit is "made" that doesn't actually post, a bad check is sent to the sucker with instructions for handling it, etc. In some of these, the sucker may not even be the direct victim: it's really the bank or other financial handler that's actually out the money... and the local sucker left saying, yes, he got to keep $200 and he can pay that back if they give him a little time, but he mailed the <I>rest of the money</I> to the P.O. Box like the people told him to....<BR/><BR/>And, like I said earlier, you only need a few suckers to get a return. It costs the same to send an e-mail from "The Custodial Workers 3rd Credit Union of Abilene" to one person as it does to 10,000,000--if only one desperate, naive person responds, that's pure profit.<BR/><BR/>On a less-depressing note, Jerry Pournelle claims to have received the greatest spam of all time, which can be found on <A HREF="http://www.jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2mail/mail219.html" REL="nofollow">this page</A> (do an in-page search for the phrase of "Uruk of Mordor" to get to it--it's worth a read if you've never seen it before--go now, fly, read the funny writing!).Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-11923547019235587542008-02-26T11:08:00.000-06:002008-02-26T11:08:00.000-06:00David, yeah I love the magic Hollywood IPvX.I espe...David, yeah I love the magic Hollywood IPvX.<BR/><BR/>I especially love it when they show that fantasy NSA 'command center' - the one with the giant screens and Enterprise Bridge layout. And they show the 'trace' as a big green line doing the connect the dots routine around a high tech map of the world - right into the bad guy's basement. Yeah. If only it was that easy.<BR/><BR/>I think most folks would be seriously disappointed by NSA NSOC (there's no 'command center' like in the movies, the proper term is NSOC - the National Security Ops Center), which looks a lot like what it is, a big office space, complete with cubicles and outdated government issue computers. But I guess, Hollywood wise, watching a green screen full of IP addresses and router data isn't all that exciting. <BR/><BR/>My personal favorite? <I>Enemy of the State</I>, if only, man, if only.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-58883604481977304242008-02-26T10:59:00.000-06:002008-02-26T10:59:00.000-06:00C'mon, David. That's IPv10.No MAC addresses requi...C'mon, David. That's <EM>IPv10.</EM><BR/><BR/>No MAC addresses required. No Subpoenas. No ISP records. It's MAGIC. <EM>Magic,</EM> I say.<BR/><BR/>Also very prevalent on <EM>24.</EM>Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-32433414917913662272008-02-26T10:57:00.000-06:002008-02-26T10:57:00.000-06:00The Custodial Workers 3rd Credit Union of Abilene ...<I>The Custodial Workers 3rd Credit Union of Abilene </I><BR/><BR/>The <I>3rd</I> Credit Union, you mean there's more than one? Not to be a snob or anything, but I don't know that I'd want to keep my money in a 3rd rate credit union. 1st Union, that's for me. <BR/><BR/>Only the other hand: Custodial Workers Credit Union - at least you know the bathrooms will be clean as a whistle...Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-85087036318893956212008-02-26T08:44:00.000-06:002008-02-26T08:44:00.000-06:00Here's the one I don't get. Its one thing to get ...Here's the one I don't get. Its one thing to get an email claiming to be from Citibank or Chase or Bank of America. They have a couple bazillion customers, so odds are they'll get to <EM>someone</EM> who might get fooled into thinking their account might have a problem. Lately, though, I'm getting emails from things like "The Custodial Workers 3rd Credit Union of Abilene".<BR/><BR/>How many likely targets is that gonna find?Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-24321861704196357342008-02-26T07:41:00.000-06:002008-02-26T07:41:00.000-06:00Kinda related from the other direction....When I w...Kinda related from the other direction....<BR/><BR/>When I was teaching the life long learners last week, there were several who admitted that they were frightened of the internet.<BR/><BR/>They've heard so many horror stories that they were afraid to do *anything*. <BR/><BR/>I gave 'em two rules to follow. If you are afraid of mistyping an address (and ending up with nekkid women) go to google (or yahoo) and type in what you're searching for. That way you can be certain you end up at Amazon or Sears or the White House.<BR/><BR/>The second thing I told them was never never never never click on a link through e-mail unless they were expecting the message or it's from someone they know. That if they get a "message from their bank" either call the bank or go to the bank website (see step 1) and check their information from there.<BR/><BR/>With those two rules, that solved most of their fear, and should keep them as safe as two rules can keep someone safe.<BR/><BR/>So they won't be contributing to the stupid.<BR/><BR/>You're welcome.Random Michelle Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13817444379694818074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-7518762903500123732008-02-26T06:25:00.000-06:002008-02-26T06:25:00.000-06:00They're obviously using that IPv5, you know, the o...They're obviously using that IPv5, you know, the one that never really saw the light of day except in movies and whatnot where they can use an IP address to pinpoint someone's physical address without all that mucking around with ISP records and subpoenas.David Klechahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18294981356889237568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-22756509827427908382008-02-26T01:11:00.000-06:002008-02-26T01:11:00.000-06:00Well, yeah, stomach cramps make ya cranky.And the ...Well, yeah, stomach cramps make ya cranky.<BR/><BR/>And the way to look at it is this: <I>You</I> are teaching your kid how to use technology, those people are teaching his competition ...Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-71282444890154413442008-02-26T01:03:00.000-06:002008-02-26T01:03:00.000-06:00Yeah... for me, these are the people supposedly te...Yeah... for me, these are the people supposedly teaching my kids how to utilize technology.<BR/><BR/>(I'm a bit bitter this evening too, so I guess there's that...)Shawn Powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15186686711412505957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-46852332108327906492008-02-26T01:01:00.000-06:002008-02-26T01:01:00.000-06:00Oh I believe it, Eric, I just don't want to.Oh I believe it, Eric, I just don't want to.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-25239827002152885952008-02-26T00:07:00.000-06:002008-02-26T00:07:00.000-06:00The scary thing is that if it didn't work they'd s...The scary thing is that if it didn't work they'd stop doing it. And as I'm sure you know, the thing with e-mail is that it's as much trouble to send 1,000 as it is to send 1. If you set up a 'bot to send out 10,000 e-mails and a mere 1% of your recipients are suckers... yeah.<BR/><BR/>And I've represented more than a few people who got charged with a felony (Obtaining Property By False Pretenses) when they cashed a "Canadian Lottery Ticket" or agreed to cash a check and split the proceeds with the nice fellow in Nigeria who mailed it to them. A lot of them end up pleading to misdemeanors because DAs and cops usually don't believe them and they stand a chance of seeing a jail cell if a jury doesn't, either.<BR/><BR/>Okay, now I've depressed myself. This is why I don't write about work. You know what's fun? George Romero movies!<BR/><BR/>Okay, I won't hijack: there's a lot of suckers out there, Jim. More than you'd ever think. Ask Barnum, he knew.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-2493730762399256362008-02-25T23:26:00.000-06:002008-02-25T23:26:00.000-06:00"Shawn, I have to update my banking info -- I can ...<I>"Shawn, I have to update my banking info -- I can do that from the school, right?"</I><BR/><BR/>Well, sure, you can do that from school, but...due to our new firewall procedures, you have to write down your banking information and give it to me and <I>I</I>will update your accounts. Now, once I update your account, it may appear that your balance is zero, however...Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-77772858890558789942008-02-25T22:51:00.000-06:002008-02-25T22:51:00.000-06:00I guess in all fairness, it's not all of them. Bu...I guess in all fairness, it's not <I>all</I> of them. But really, these are the kinds of people that fall for this stuff. I get calls. Every day. Every <I>single</I> day.<BR/><BR/>"Shawn, I have to update my banking info -- I can do that from the school, right?"<BR/><BR/>Which starts a ridiculous, seemingly retarded conversation about phishing.<BR/><BR/>Every.<BR/><BR/>Day.Shawn Powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15186686711412505957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-13151904596336823882008-02-25T22:49:00.000-06:002008-02-25T22:49:00.000-06:00Um, no, seriously.See?Um, no, seriously.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.brainofshawn.com/2008/02/25/shawns-rules-for-public-meetings/" REL="nofollow">See?</A>Shawn Powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15186686711412505957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-55548671170483852712008-02-25T22:47:00.000-06:002008-02-25T22:47:00.000-06:00No, seriously, who falls for this shit?No, seriously, who falls for this shit?Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-15208555448857418712008-02-25T22:36:00.000-06:002008-02-25T22:36:00.000-06:00Every teacher that works at my school district.Every teacher that works at my school district.Shawn Powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15186686711412505957noreply@blogger.com