Just seen the following Interesting Article about the BBC creating a BotNet and then using it to do tests. Although this is IMHO questionable anyway I do wonder if they will be reimbursing people who incur traffic and usage costs for their connection. One of the tests was to DDoS a test site they had setup, which is obviously going to use resources on the source machines.
What gives them the right to do this, they may have had good intentions but what would have happened if that botnet was compromised itself?
They claim to be contacting the affected machines owners to let them know, quite how they are going to do this I am not sure, perhaps the hack was done after credentials were entered into a site and confirmed? Still a very worrying thing to be done.
Supposedly they are letting them know by changing their backdrop to something containing relevant information.
Which is probably an offence under the computer misuse act.
Their contacting of victims consisted of updating the user’s backrop with a message that their machine was compromised – together with a URL to a site explaining how to secure the PC.
Of course, given they specifically purchased non-UK/US machines, how many of the users that could understand the new backdrop is debateable!
Not watched the actual program (Click) that is about? Mmm. I was going to include an iPlayer link but its expired – I thought it lasted longer than a week :-/
It assumes that the person using the computer sees the backdrop too. I am sure there are apps out there that will override the default to show something different. Or how about someone with visual impairments? or blind? picture isn’t going to work really is it.
Think its a shocking thing for the BBC to do.