Scams

Scams

by Mike Masnick




AOL Proud To Lead The World In Zombie Machines

from the it's-a-sign-of-popularity dept

Last year, Comcast admitted they had a zombie problem before trying to tackle it -- noting that, thanks to zombies, Comcast was the biggest spammer on the internet. Now, a new study has come out saying that AOL has the most zombie-fied computer users, and AOL seems proud of the fact. They basically say that you should expect that -- since they're the largest ISP around. There is a valid point in there, supported by the fact that AOL computers are apparently quite easy to block when it comes to denial of service attacks -- meaning that the smaller number of Comcast zombies are responsible for many, many more attacks than AOL's compromised customers. Still, some of the statements coming out of AOL seem a bit strange, in trying to somehow spin this as "good news" for their users (they actually say that). While it means that AOL zombies are easy to block, shouldn't AOL being doing more to help de-zombiefy these machines? It's almost like Microsoft saying that all of these security vulnerabilities being discovered is "good news" because it shows how popular Windows is. It may be true, in some sense, but it's not exactly the PR message you probably want to be giving out.

2 Comments | Leave a Comment..

 
 

Reader Comments

(Flattened / Threaded)

    Jun 15th, 2005 @ 8:21pm
  • Dial-Up Zombies?

    by Beck

    What is not mentioned is that Comcast is "always-on" broadband, while most AOL users access the Internet via dial-up connections. AOL zombies can only conduct their attack during the time that they happen to be dialed in to AOL.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  • Jun 16th, 2005 @ 12:55am
  • Meanwhile

    by Pete Austin

    "it has never been easier to keep your family safe and secure online thanks to AOL’s range of safety and security features ...
    No matter what package you choose, you can trust AOL to give you a great broadband experience."
    Current AOL Advert

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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