| "CNN Misrepresenting etoy vs. etoys Battle?" | Login/Create an Account | 189 comments | Search Discussion |
| (1 ) | 2 (Slashdot Overload: CommentLimit 50) |
Yet they link to a better article... (Score:2, Informative)
by Eccles (abell@mindspringdotcom) on Tuesday December 21, @12:46PM EST (#1)
(User Info) |
They do have a link on that very page to an idg.net article which goes into more detail about etoy and etoys, including mentioning that etoy.com was around for a year before etoys.com opened. Guess they don't fol,low their own links either...
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
Anybody have a CNN response address? (Score:1)
by handorf (handorf@penguinARGHNOSPAMPLEASEGODpowered.com) on Tuesday December 21, @12:46PM EST (#2)
(User Info) http://handorf.penguinpowered.com/~benvh
|
I didn't see one when I read the article (and I was just about to post it to /. too. :-) )
I just feel they should be sure and point out who is the original aggressor here. DoS attacks are NOT how you deal with this kind of issue, but it doesn't seem like Big Business is going to leave the little guy with any other choices.
Stupid People Strike Again.
-- "Listen to the horny termite! You're on FIRE!!!!" If you want to quote me in an article, contact me for permission. |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
Wha? (Score:2, Insightful)
by Myddrin (private_flipper@NOSPAM.email.com) on Tuesday December 21, @12:47PM EST (#6)
(User Info) |
This article is about RTMark's DoS attacks on etoys.com, not about the legal battle.
Of course it makes RTMark look bad, the way they are behaving is quite childish. They would do better to be raising money to help etoy.com's legal battle. Or informing the public about what is going on. What they are doing now is just going to hurt etoy.com and others in the same situation by raising hostility in the corporate world.
--- My name is Bobby Sands, MP... |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
Re:Wha? (Score:4, Insightful)
by Gurlia (sweetswale@swalecove.zots.org) on Tuesday December 21, @12:59PM EST (#26)
(User Info) | That's the problem with freedom of speech (supporters? advocates? zealots?). Doing things like DoS against somebody's server just to "prove a point" will only hurt freedom more than help it, in the long run. We need "peaceful" protests -- not disruptive actions. Yes we have to fight for our freedom rights, but doing childish things like ping floods, etc., will only give a very bad image to people outside of our circle, and actually advance the cause of those who want to take away our freedom (they can point at us and say "look at this bunch of childish fanatics, don't listen to them.") I guess this is a principle we should all learn: whether fighting for freedom of speech, advocating Linux, or whatever the noble cause may be. "Promoting" Linux by flaming MS doesn't do any good at all, as most of us know very well. Similarly, DoS'ing etoys.com just to "show them" we don't like their actions won't do much except confirm, in the minds of the unknowing, that we are just a bunch of fanatics that should be ignored. What we need is to protest in a non-disruptive way. If enough of us drop a (polite!) note to etoys.com or to a congressman or whoever's in the position to take action, or raise some legal funds, and take some other means of non-disruptive action against this trend, we might actually make an effect. Remember, if we lower ourselves to the opponent's level, we lose. Unfortunately it only takes a small percentage of us to behave in a childish way and people jump to the conclusion we're all like that.
--- mikre he sophia he tou Mikrosophou. (Just my silly parody on M$ :-) | | [ Reply to This | Parent ] | |
- Re:Wha? by Anonymous Coward Tuesday December 21, @01:33PM EST
- Re:Wha? by Anonymous Coward Tuesday December 21, @09:24PM EST
- Re:Wha? by TheCarp (Score:2) Tuesday December 21, @01:48PM EST
- Re:Wha? by Anonymous Coward Tuesday December 21, @01:58PM EST
- Pleeeeze? by Kaa (Score:3) Tuesday December 21, @02:01PM EST
- Re:Pleeeeze? by TheCarp (Score:3) Tuesday December 21, @02:16PM EST
- Re:Pleeeeze? by Myddrin (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @02:30PM EST
- Re:Pleeeeze? by Kaa (Score:2) Tuesday December 21, @02:51PM EST
- Re:Pleeeeze? by Myddrin (Score:2) Tuesday December 21, @03:01PM EST
- Re:Pleeeeze? by Anonymous Coward Tuesday December 21, @03:02PM EST
- Re:Pleeeeze? by hexmem (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @03:50PM EST
- Re:Wha? by slickwillie (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @01:36PM EST
- Re:Wha? by Myddrin (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @01:39PM EST
- Re:Wha? by mcrandello (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @03:02PM EST
- Re:Wha? by plunge (Score:2) Tuesday December 21, @02:22PM EST
- Bobby Sands? by Anonymous Coward Tuesday December 21, @04:52PM EST
|
Inside Info (Score:1)
by Cloudboy on Tuesday December 21, @12:48PM EST (#7)
(User Info) |
The article states that Etoys suffered only a 2% loss to DoS attacks. Anychances anyone knows someone on the inside (or can get info) about more realistic figures. I would be very curious to know actual stats. Also note that Etoys had not made any comments until their peak sales are slowing.
"Never under estimate the destructive power of a backhoe." -B. Chapman |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
- Re:Inside Info by Dr. Evil (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @01:59PM EST
- Re:Inside Info by mcrandello (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @03:05PM EST
|
Since when (Score:1)
by schloggie on Tuesday December 21, @12:49PM EST (#10)
(User Info) |
| do members of the press have a responsibility to check facts. Monkey see, monkey do. Monkey hear, monkey say.
- de gustibus non est disputatis
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
- Re:Since when by mlesesky (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @01:07PM EST
What the News is All About (Score:4, Insightful)
by FFFish on Tuesday December 21, @01:44PM EST (#74)
(User Info) | The news does not exist to inform you.
It exists to sell your eyeballs to advertisers.
The more eyeballs, the more dollars revenue.
Facts just scare the audience away.
Adopt this cynical (and realistic) understanding of the news media, and it'll serve you well.
--
Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no sig. | | [ Reply to This | Parent ] | |
|
Let's just /. them (Score:3, Funny)
by lethe (dev@null) on Tuesday December 21, @12:52PM EST (#11)
(User Info) |
Instead of arguing over the ethics of DoS attacks, why don't all of us just go and visit etoys.com. (let's see how ready they are to handle the onslaught of this community)
if at first you don't succeed, shoot the consultant who suggested you try in the first place... |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
IP address (Score:2, Insightful)
by Imperator (imperator@mytherDOESNOTLIKESPAM.com) on Tuesday December 21, @12:52PM EST (#12)
(User Info) http://myther.com/
|
Quoth the article:
The group's Web site made available information, such as eToys' IP address, that would give attackers helpful ammunition to shoot eToys down. Why do so many people not understand that IP addresses are not magic? Really, how hard is it to find the IP address that corresponds to etoys.com? If script kiddies can't figure it out, it's their ignorance.
Gates' Law: Every 18 months, the speed of software halves. |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
- Re:IP address by mdvkng (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @01:39PM EST
- Re:IP address by toast0 (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @02:06PM EST
- Re:IP address by mdvkng (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @02:47PM EST
|
Double standard? (Score:2, Insightful)
by Linuk (lvermeulen@seria-nospam.com) on Tuesday December 21, @12:52PM EST (#13)
(User Info) http://www.seria.com
|
Check out this frighteningly inaccurate description of the conflict While you're at it, check out this story on /. where someone says CNN is misrepresenting the facts, but neglects to provide any background or sources for "the real story". If you want to hold CNN to a high standard, fine, but don't forget to uphold that standard yourself.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
How to add more information (Score:3, Informative)
by MAXOMENOS (maxomenos@SPAM=DEATH.mindspring.com) on Tuesday December 21, @12:53PM EST (#14)
(User Info) file://dev/null
|
- Click on this link to the discussion list on computer security
- Scroll to the bottom and create a unique log-in
- Post an article about the REAL etoy story
Please note: they screen each post for relevance, so no Mae Ling Mak Naked Drunk Petrified Spray Painted And Auctioned Off To Disney posts will get through.
The Kulturwehrmacht
Penguin Laboratories |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
To be fair to CNN.. (Score:5, Insightful)
by Masem (mneylon@engin.umich.edu) on Tuesday December 21, @12:53PM EST (#16)
(User Info) http://pinky.wtower.com/mneylon
|
| CNN's focus on this article is NOT etoy.com vs eToys.com. It's on how script kiddies can readily and easily cause a pure e-commerce vessle to sink if it's not well prepared. Now, let the ranting begin: 1) The only time that I would ever advocate a DoS attack on a site is never. There is no reason to do so; sure, you might put it down for a while (etoys reported 98% instead of 100% reliability during the last few weeks), but if anything it could lead to worse things (see below). There are more effective ways to state your dislike for something. 2) CNN's not wrong; their article on the etoy/etoys things is truth. Just using a different set of words that seems to put etoys on the right side of the thing. Words are very powerful, but you can't blame CNN for misusing them. 3) I really don't like this idea of DoS attacks, especially in light of this article. Chain of events: All over e-commerce they read that a service can be put down because of DoS (they won't care why the DoS was initiated); Etoys says they have to use custom-built DoS prevention tricks to stop it; E-commerce security experts all up in arms on how to stop this; e-commerence management wonders how to easily stop it; e-commerce turns to US Government (using large bags of money) and asks them to stop it; US Government bans all TCPIP tools except port 80's. Ok, so the last one's going a bit far, but I don't doubt that this series of events can happen. Just as with the question of linking, overly long patent and trademarks, poor patents, and other junk, stuff like this only kills the net for anyone not involved in e-commerce, and even then, may take some lowend e-commerce sites down. Moral of the story: PLEASE DONT BE A SCRIPT KIDDIE. :-P
"How could this [Y2K Bug] be a problem in a country where we have Intel and Microsoft?" -- Al Gore |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
WIRED (Score:1)
by BMIComp on Tuesday December 21, @12:54PM EST (#17)
(User Info) |
Well, here's the Wired story on the eToys thing... and they say supporters are calling for.. "virtual riots"...
"Misquotations are the only quotations that are never misquoted." -Hesketh Pearson |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
That wasn't the only dodgy part. (Score:2)
by jd on Tuesday December 21, @12:54PM EST (#18)
(User Info) |
| There were all sorts of questionable parts to the article, such as the implication that etoy was in some way in coherts with the crackers. The slant was very much one of "etoys are innocent, anyone who says otherwise is guilty", regardless of any details such as facts. Mind you, there is that old adage of "never let facts get in the way of a good story". CNN is usually one of the more reputable of a rather poor bunch, but this really doesn't reflect well on them.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
So, what are you waiting for? (Score:2)
by seebs (seebs@plethora.net) on Tuesday December 21, @12:54PM EST (#19)
(User Info) http://www.plethora.net/~seebs/
|
Get in there and post feedback, comment in the forums, and/or call CNN, and talk to them about what "hacker" means.
If they want to babble about crackers, fine, but they shouldn't be confusing two very different groups.
http://mail-abuse.org/rbl/ - kills spammers dead http://www.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=GZX636 - Get paid to surf |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
CNN feedback page (Score:1)
by Otter (jsinger@genome.wi.mit.edu) on Tuesday December 21, @12:54PM EST (#20)
(User Info) http://members.tripod.com/jbsinger/index.html/
|
You can comment at:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Standard Fare for CNN (Score:1)
by waldoj (waldo@waldo.net) on Tuesday December 21, @12:55PM EST (#21)
(User Info) http://www.waldo.net
|
This is pretty standard for CNN, unfortunately. Most everything in their "Insurgency on the Internet" is fluff.
This looks very much as if they just sat down with eToys and wrote down everything that eToys said to write down. Further, RTMark doesn't really do much to make a case against eToys. (Though, to be fair, they may have tried, and CNN simply failed to insert that part.)
I guess this is symptomatic of the larger problem in media, in which nobody's willing to present a story with more than one side. The easiest side for CNN is to make eToys look like the good guys, and the evil hackers to be the bad guys.
I'm not sure that this can be turned around, at least not through CNN. Surely, though, we can get other news sources (Wired, of course) to do fair coverage of this. But CNN is part of a large group of media outlets that just aren't going to be representing the interests of a small political-arts-action group when their opponent is a large e-commerce business that advertises on their networks.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Well, what did you expect? (Score:1)
by Fruan (Kennp@ihug,co,nz) on Tuesday December 21, @12:55PM EST (#22)
(User Info) |
Of course a 'respected' news source is going to side with the toy distributer (intentionally or otherwise) at this time of year, and more so when it is against artists who are not beyond using nudity in their art, which no doubt translates to 'pornographer' in the mind of most people when talking about the Internet. [That was a long sentance. The management apologises.]
But really, you would hope that someone still believe in *investigative* journalism.
-- Shawn Poulsen (Fruan) "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" - Hamlet. Act 1 Scene V. |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
I would not buy from etoys. (Score:1)
by emil on Tuesday December 21, @12:56PM EST (#23)
(User Info) |
Obviously, I don't have all the facts (IANAL). However, from what I've learned from these articles, I won't purchase anything from etoys, and I will encourage others not to do so. You do not have free license to be impolite just because you are a large company. A courteous exchange of links would have saved everyone a great deal of trouble.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Rediculous, and amusing.. (Score:2, Funny)
by Phizzy (phizzy@NOSPAM.psynet.net) on Tuesday December 21, @12:57PM EST (#24)
(User Info) |
This article is an obvious farse on what is going on. I think anyone who has any idea of what is going on here will immediately realize what hype-motivated trash journalism this really is. What kind of "hacking group" allows themselves to be interviewed by CNN, and mentioned by name? I think this is an article to laugh about, not to be concerned about..
especially this part :
Using another method, an attacker can send malformed packets that give routers, firewalls or switches a kind of network indigestion.
Now.. I've had routers give ME indigestion, but never the other way around.. maybe someone has found some way to make them feel my pain!
//Phizzy
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Their IP address is now public, God help us all (Score:2, Funny)
by CoughDropAddict on Tuesday December 21, @12:59PM EST (#25)
(User Info) |
The group's Web site made available information, such as eToys' IP address
What sickos. Who knows what these loonies will do next.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Right vs. Wrong (Score:4, Interesting)
by humphrm (rm-f@linuxstart.com) on Tuesday December 21, @12:59PM EST (#27)
(User Info) http://www.famille.org/mikehd.html
|
| There are too many right vs. wrongs here, and nobody (except maybe /. and etoy themselves with their legal counter action) is addressing this properly. I recieved one of RTMark's e-mails; they clearly got my e-mail address off of /. because I responded to the earlier story about this. So, since I piped in with support of etoy (my post included simply options of other toy retailers to use, and my angle was that these other options are actually cheaper than eToys) So, let's see... RTMark takes it upon themselves to harvest my e-mail address, send me Spam, and tries to enlist the spam's recipients to engage in an illegal DOS attack against eToys -- and they're the good guys? The news article may not have been complete, (gee, Slashdot's never done that...) but they did get it right: this is an illegal attack that does nothing except make legitimate advocates for etoy look bad.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
article is from Network World (Score:0)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21, @12:59PM EST (#28)
|
Check out: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=13177 There's also a place to leave feedback. Probably the best way to let them know how far off base they are...
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Over sensational article (Score:1)
by Malc (Malcolm_Ferguson@yahoo.NO_SPAM_PLEASE.com) on Tuesday December 21, @01:00PM EST (#29)
(User Info) |
This article seems be more about "hackers" (incorrect use again: I like to hack around a bit, but I don't do things like that) than anything else. It must be a slow news day or something as they've resorted to sensationalist stories with no real content.
Why run such a big article (it's at the top of their page with the main headlines) about "hackers" when all they've done is reduce the availability of the eToys' web site by a huge and crippling 2%!!!? These "hackers" have been fairly inaffective according to this article.
Bah!
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
c001, 17s 31337!! (Score:1)
by BMIComp on Tuesday December 21, @01:00PM EST (#30)
(User Info) |
You know, what eToys did was really unfair... but these gay DoS attacks from this RFM guy aren't justified. If this guy didn't have a computer, he'd have a can of spray paint instead. He's just trying to get attention.
"Misquotations are the only quotations that are never misquoted." -Hesketh Pearson |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
Corporate Spin Control (Score:2, Interesting)
by Bitscape (bitscape@linuxstart.fuckspammers.com) on Tuesday December 21, @01:02PM EST (#32)
(User Info) http://bitscape.festing.org/
|
| It certainly has the appearence of an attempt to generate a bias from the ignorant public in favor of Etoys. If they can get people to buy into the "corporate = good; independent thought = bad" mindset early on, people will be much less likely to sympathize with etoy even when they do learn all the facts. While the article is correct in what it does say, omitting important info about the case leaves people people with the implicit assumption that etoy, and by extension "art groups" and "Internet activists", are automatically untrustworthy. What I wonder is whether CNN has some vested interest in seeing Etoys win (Do they receive advertising revenue? Do they own stock in the company?), or it could just be old fashioned promotion of the money-making-above-all-else doctrine.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Be Nice (Score:0)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21, @01:02PM EST (#33)
|
What annoyed me about this article was the obvious cut-and-paste journalism she exhibited by carelessly throwing out a bunch of script kiddie buzzwords for effect. Did everyone read how RTMark gave out EToys' IP address?!?!
The nerve!
Here's her info:
Ellen Messmer
Senior Editor, Enterprise Applications
emessmer@nww.com
(202) 879-6752
Fax: (202) 347-2365
Network World
1331 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 505
Washington, DC 20004
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Not responding to ping requests! (Score:1)
by CoughDropAddict on Tuesday December 21, @01:03PM EST (#34)
(User Info) |
Etoys ping requests are timing out: I suppose these are the advanced "proprietary" defenses they're boasting?
How does one even disable that? I didn't realize it was a controllable behavior.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
If you want to castigate CNN.com (Score:1)
by Chas (chas@spammers.die.on.evilnet.net) on Tuesday December 21, @01:06PM EST (#36)
(User Info) http://www.evilnet.net
|
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/ Please, keep your letters calm, to the point, and refrain from exhibiting the lower reaches of your vocabulary.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
chas@evilnet.net |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Those crazy hackers at RTMark... (Score:1)
by Silver Paladin on Tuesday December 21, @01:07PM EST (#38)
(User Info) |
"The group's Web site made available information, such as eToys' IP address, that would give attackers helpful ammunition to shoot eToys down."
Quick, somebody stop these guys... :)
I'm not particularly pro-DoS attacks, but given that the courts are incapable or unwilling to understand the dynamics of domain name disputes, it appears there's little recourse for etoy. eToys deserves everything they get.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
not totally true... (Score:1)
by Oirad (dario@ukans.edu) on Tuesday December 21, @01:07PM EST (#40)
(User Info) |
I read the article as talking about RTM's attacks on etoys. <sarcasm> Which, btw, is really adult. </sarcasm> There are other ways to fight this battle. Etoys is in the wrong. After all, you don't see the government getting an injunction against whitehouse.com, do you? And RTM's actions will just serve to possibly bring more calls for legislation here in the US, more than anything else.
<sarcasm> Thanks guys.</sarcasm>
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
etoy.com a bunch of script kiddies? (Score:2)
by HomerJ (homerj@ramen.org) on Tuesday December 21, @01:07PM EST (#41)
(User Info) |
That's the impression a got after reading the CNN atricle.
Not to mention they mention the "unix-based" Tribal Flood Network. As if they are trying to group anyone that uses a non-MS OS into the "script kiddie" catagory that trys to take down "legit" e-commerce sites like etoys.com.
Which makes me wonder if Ted Turner has some sort of interest in etoys.com. I've seen CNN spin the hell out of other stories that were against a Turner company. Turner uses CNN to promote all of his ideas. It's not called the Clinton News Netowrk for nothing.
Just my $.02, but NEVER rely on CNN when they put too much of a negative spin on one thing and positive spin on another in the same story. CNN projects it's financial and politcal ideas in it's "unbiased" stories more then any other news organization I've seen.
I know what really happened. Other news groups reported on what really happened. I take CNN at face value, so the story didn't really surprise me.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
man... (Score:1, Funny)
by phi1o (ajhutchi@brain.uccs.edu) on Tuesday December 21, @01:07PM EST (#42)
(User Info) http://www.uccs.edu/~ajhutchi
|
They didn't have links to any of those utilities in their "related websites" section. Is that bad journalism or what?
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Ah the irony of it all... (Score:1, Insightful)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21, @01:09PM EST (#44)
|
Slashdot posting a story about journalist integrity? The same site that will post almost any rumor as news? Hello?
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
Slashdot misrepresenting the misrepresentation? (Score:1)
by Chip Stillmore on Tuesday December 21, @01:12PM EST (#45)
(User Info) |
I don't see anything wrong with this article. It states simply that etoys.com is "taking legal steps to prevent a Swiss art group from using the domain name etoy.com." They use that statement to lead into the relevant topic of a group launching DoS attacks against etoys.com. Within the scope of this particular article, who cares which site was there first? That's irrelevant. It's just simply stating a fact, nothing more. This fact (etoys.com disputing etoy.com) was the catalyst that started the DoS attacks against etoys.com. That is all the article is saying.
I don't see any problem whatsoever.
Furthermore, nowhere in this article does it say anything about who is at fault in the etoys.com - etoy.com issue. So, it does not lay any foundation, whatsoever, that could be used for any misrepresentation of any kind.
With that in mind, it's easy to see that the poster is obviously reading way too much into this one sentence.
I fail to even see how this story even made it up on Slashdot.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
What a big surprise (Score:1)
by Psymurai on Tuesday December 21, @01:14PM EST (#46)
(User Info) |
This shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone. We all know the media is clueless. But instead of just being upset about it, take the time to send feedback to CNN. They'll never learn if we don't tell them.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
Accurate but not balanced (Score:0)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21, @01:14PM EST (#47)
|
As with so many of Ted Turner's companies, the coverage by CNN is accurate, but is not balanced. The facts are correct, but other facts that would allow a reasonable decision to be made on the topic are just plain missing. Its sort of the old saw about the NY Times masthead: "All the news that fits we print."
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
CNN is a megaphone for etoys' propaganda (Score:1)
by Wansu on Tuesday December 21, @01:18PM EST (#52)
(User Info) |
This story looks like it was planted by etoys. I just don't see how anyone knowledgeable about current events could get it that wrong. As usual, there's no email address on the CNN site. They want you to fill out this form on their website which probably gets copied to /dev/null
Wansu, th' chinese sailor |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Tools? (Score:1)
by shaunj (shaunj@hotmail.com) on Tuesday December 21, @01:18PM EST (#53)
(User Info) |
"Denial-of-service attacks can be launched using any of dozens of programs available in hacker chat forums and on the Web" Or they could simply use ping. Which is an essential network tool that comes with just about every operating system. There is no need to blame the "dozens of programs". Blame the ethics of the people doing the DoS's.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Contacting the author (Score:3, Informative)
by dblslash on Tuesday December 21, @01:19PM EST (#54)
(User Info) http://www.bungo.com
|
This is the contact info for the author of the article. I've sent her an email with links to the Slashdot articles concerning the etoy/Etoys battle.
Please, no flames.
Ellen Messmer
Senior Editor, Enterprise Applications
emessmer@nww.com
(202) 879-6752
Fax: (202) 347-2365
Network World
1331 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 505
Washington, DC 20004
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Nonviolent Protest (Score:1)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21, @01:21PM EST (#55)
|
I have chatted with my co-workers about this. They feel that since the legal case involve international entities, it might drag on for a long time. In the meantime, etoy.com will be shutdown pending ruling. We feel destructive hacking might not be good for the cause of helping etoy.com. As an admininstrator working for a network provider, we wish we could call everyone who has the control of the internet core router, pick a time and stop or drop routing for etoy.com traffic for an hour as a silent protest, and show the world we are united!!!
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
etoy not the topic (Score:2)
by ajs (ajs@ajs.com) on Tuesday December 21, @01:22PM EST (#57)
(User Info) http://www.ajs.com/~ajs/
|
Woefully, CNN is just using a bit of razzle-dazzle by touching on a hot topic (domain name disputes) to get people to read an otherwise off-putting technical article. They do their integrity a disservice, here. However, there's also a lesson to be learned by the RTMarks of the world: Before you perform an act online terrorism, think about the light that your act will be framed in. Will you help your cause or harm it?
The net result is that now a lot of people think etoy is some cyber-squatting (what an unfortunate term) semi-terrorist bunch of geeks. Many will never even know that it had anything to do with art.
-- Aaron Sherman (ajs@ajs.com) Perl Guy and Executive Glue Sniffer |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
1st Law of Mass Media / How the Grinch Stole eToys (Score:2)
by Spud Zeppelin (spudNOSPAMzeppelinATspudNOSPAMzeppelinDOTCOM) on Tuesday December 21, @01:26PM EST (#59)
(User Info) http://www.spudzeppelin.com
|
The 1st Law of Mass Media is "Give the people what they want." It appears CNN is doing exactly that... after all, it is Christmas, and (by the way, this has nothing to do with my opinion on the subject [I support eToy], just my perception of how CNN is handling it): - Dr. Seuss' Grinch conspired to keep toys out of the hands of children using a dogsled. RTM is conspiring to do likewise (again, in the eyes of the public) using a DoS attack.
- The Grinch lived on top of a mountain. eToy is based in Switzerland.
- The Grinch didn't like Christmas because of the noise. eToy (again, popular perception) doesn't like the e-commerce.
- The Grinch was a mean-spirited recluse. eToy is a group of free-spirited *gasp* performance artists, aligned with a group of *gasp* free-thinking H/CRackers.
- The Grinch freely exploited his little dog, Max. RTM are freely exploiting the "zombie" machines they've compromised.
There may be other parallels, these were just readily apparent. Remember what ESR likes to talk about with regard to technology in the media: people only pay attention to tech stories with protagonists. In this case, they've got a protagonist (the Whos down at eToys) and a story that they more-or-less already know (or at least think they do)... what more could John Q. Public ask for?
This is my opinion and my opinion only. Incidentally, IANAL.
"Sometimes a little brain damage can help." -- George Carlin
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Anarchy (Score:2, Insightful)
by FFFish on Tuesday December 21, @01:30PM EST (#61)
(User Info) |
It strikes me that the Internet is the closest thing we have to an anarchy: a lack of centralized control, rule by consensus, and sometimes mob rule.
DoS attacks are the network equivalent to violence. They're intended to "wipe 'em out," as surely as a bullet to the head.
And put in those terms, it's downright scary. What we have are a bunch of self-righteous hoodlums who put their own *OPINION* of what's right and wrong well above the ability of others to continue to exist.
Yah, I'm using hyperbole. It's not really that extreme. No one is likely to die from this.
But the comparisons can be drawn, and perhaps indicate the biggest flaw with anarchic thought. Some right bastard is always gonna be more than willing to go to the extreme, rather than approach a solution from a non-violent direction.
Inneresting bit of thought, IMHO, anyway. :)
--
Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no sig. |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
- Re:Anarchy by FFFish (Score:1) Tuesday December 21, @01:36PM EST
|
Hello Kettle... (Score:2)
by Rombuu (rombuu@surfree.com) on Tuesday December 21, @01:30PM EST (#62)
(User Info) |
Man, I've got to write this date down in my diary. Slashdot complaining about someone else's accuracy in reporting. Next thing there will be a story about incorrect grammer or spelling on some site.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
newsbites and "reporting" (Score:1)
by mackga (bmcarth@nospam.ix.netcom.com) on Tuesday December 21, @01:31PM EST (#63)
(User Info) http://pw1.netcom.com/~bmcarth
|
Figures - CNN came up with the idea of 24hr headline news - perfect for the attention-challenged U.S. teevee watcher. Now something like this. While the stories do relate, it would have been far better to devote the bulk of the column to the background story to explain the lead-in. But, no, it's soooo much hipper to talk about l33t hax0rz because that's much easier to sensationalize. Reporting, yes, but not responsible.
a redhead in a uniform always makes me horny - Tom Waits |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
eCrap.com (Score:1)
by plasmax on Tuesday December 21, @01:35PM EST (#65)
(User Info) |
Why didn't etoy.com just sue eToys.com first? They should have known that some big ass American company would try to run them off the road.The whole situation is so galling and absurd. Why isn't eToys' email being stopped and its website shutdown? I would like to know who has the authority to shutdown a website in Switzerland anyway.
The whole nature of the web is way too American. Far from being an international phenom, the web is just an extension of Americana. Not a bad thing, except when American biz interests start to clash with the rest of the world.
Attn: moderator - score as a 5, my karma needs an upgrade !!!
"We learn most when we have to invent"-Jean Piaget |
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Stock Price (Score:2, Interesting)
by MrIonScream on Tuesday December 21, @01:36PM EST (#68)
(User Info) |
Did anyone notice that etoys stock has dropped half its value in the last month? Right in the middle of the xmas buying season too. Perhaps the shareholders are paying attention...
quote.yahoo.com/q?s=etys
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Not surprising, just annoying (Score:2, Interesting)
by lyonsj on Tuesday December 21, @01:36PM EST (#69)
(User Info) http://spinfree.tripod.com/
|
Honestly, it's not a huge surprise that CNN has posted a story that's worded this way. I mean, first of all, they probably get ad dollars from eToys.com. And second, what, did you think the mainstream press would defend some artsy-fartsy freak group, so offensive to blue-collar America? I mean, hello... etoy.com had the work "fuck" on their page! *gasp* Quick, someone get the smelling salts!
There are many, many things that annoyed me about this CNN article. Here's a short list:
1) They did not mention that etoy.com was registered two YEARS before eToys.com. The wording makes it sound like etoy.com was just playing off the popularity of eToys.com, which is not the case.
2) CRACKERS, not HACKERS! For crying out loud! How many times can they get this wrong? Isn't there something we could do to get these reporters a clue? crackers Crackers CRACKERS!
3) OK, so someone posted eToys.com's IP address on the web. Oh nooo, Mr. Bill! God FORBID anyone should do that! As we all know, nameservers don't do that kind of thing every day. IPs are not meant to be seen by the general public! All them thar numbers and dots, those could mean *anything*!
Oh, and as for those "proprietary" defenses being used by eToys: why am I not surprised that these people would take from the Open Source community and then not even be willing to disclose new (if they are new) ways of warding off attackers? Yeah, OK, I understand that this might make them more vulnerable, but then again.... well, we all know the good arguments for sharing information, so I won't rehash those.
All in all, it's no more than I expected from CNN - but I would like to see the bar raised on these types of "mainstream technical" articles.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| |
Contact the author? (Score:2)
by mOdQuArK! on Tuesday December 21, @01:46PM EST (#76)
(User Info) |
I believe that the correct contact information for the person who wrote the article is at "http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=13177".
Be polite, people - it IS possible to be firm but polite, and your recipient will be more likely to listen to you instead of tuning you out.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Of course it's bad reporting. (Score:0)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21, @01:48PM EST (#78)
|
The few rare times I've had any firsthand knowledge of a story reported in any mainstream media, the facts and details and emphasis have been so far off base it was comical. And it is always even worse when there's any kind of technology involved. Not long ago, I read a story about how some little company here in Denver invented XML. As far as I'm concerned, I fully expect crappy reporting, and I fully expect news media to print press releases as news stories. I don't know that there is a legitimate way to explain the story to Joe User and Jane Stocktrader. What I do know is that Etoys' stock is falling, and I suspect it's got more than a little to do with FUD about the evil cracking threats and the fact that domain names are fragile things that can be shut down with little or no notice, over even the slightest or most unfounded disagreement.
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
|
Stumbled? (Score:1)
by mdvkng on Tuesday December 21, @01:49PM EST (#80)
(User Info) |
From the Domain bullying link at IDG.
> ... eToys filed its lawsuit after several customers said they stumbled on Etoy site
> and were offended by some of its material ...
Geez!
Since when is the site's owner/operator responsible for the mistakes and/or stupidity of the users?
If you stumble, it's your own fault. Nobody tripped you.
-M
|
| [ Reply to This | Parent ] |
| |
| 5 replies beneath your current threshold. |
| (1 ) | 2 (Slashdot Overload: CommentLimit 50) |
CNN Misrepresenting etoy vs. etoys Battle?