Re: Req: info on IP range popup ad software supposedly called "Extreme Marketing"

From: Bill Cole (bill@scconsult.com)
Date: 12/28/02 

From: Bill Cole <bill@scconsult.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 14:24:05 -0500

In article <3vfr0vceddko7ah9iguhbr283l6tt1vuk3@4ax.com>,
 reply_to_the_forums@dfljjkjkljdfkjldflddjflj.com.c.c.c.com wrote:

>Last night at a get together with some in-laws, a husband of
>a sister in-law of my sister boasted about the following:
>
>He had invested $1000 with some Russian software developer
>to get the key to some software supposedly called "Extreme
>Marketing." This man at the party I went to claimed that IP
>ranges could be entered into this software, and then the
>software would cause a window to pop up on the screen of the
>machines which were active within the specified range.
>
>This seems to me a different scheme than sending out emails,
>or than having pop up ads associated with web sites. Somehow
>reportedly this software causes a window to pop up on a
>victims machines regardless of what they are doing at the
>time.
>
>Perhaps I could get more info about the software from this
>in-law of an in-law, but I was wondering whether anyone here
>had heard of such software?

Yes indeed. it is real, sorta.

>I think that this brother in-law of an in-law got hoodwinked
>for having to pay $1000 for a opening key for this software.
>He isn't that bright of a man & is prone to all sorts of
>kooky ideas & schemes.
>
>Anyway if you have more info about this type of software &
>efforts to block it please let me know.

There are very real limitations. It only works to pop up windows on
machines which satisfy all of these conditions:

1. Run Windows
2. Lack any serious effort to secure them against casual vandalism
3. Sit unprotected with public IP addresses on networks without suitable
ingress control for networks where such machines may reside.

So yes, it works on many machines. I have very little sympathy for the
people hit by that slimeware given the ease of prevention and the fact
that the kindest description I can come up with for someone whose
machine meets all 3 conditions is 'naive fool.' 

-- 
The answer is that no one has a right to press even 'good' ideas on an 
unwilling recipient. -- Chief Justice Berger, SCotUS
Bill Cole                                           bill@scconsult.com

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Req: info on IP range popup ad software supposedly called "Extreme Marketing"
    ... >a sister in-law of my sister boasted about the following: ... >software would cause a window to pop up on the screen of the ... >machines which were active within the specified range. ... >in-law of an in-law, but I was wondering whether anyone here ...
    (comp.security.misc)
  • Re: Cutnpaste and SSH2/TCPIP V5.4
    ... the work machines from home. ... window into a remote machine I get about a line and a half of the ... !logged into my VMS system, ... I've seeen similar queries in the past; a more thorough search of Google may ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: Access Denied and Lack of Permission in XP Pro Home Network
    ... "Chuck" wrote: ... After installing through the XP network wizard, all machines may see the ... Are you entering "ping othercomputer" in a command window? ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web)
  • RE: Auto-text for date not working
    ... macros and templates for Microsoft Word ... It does not matter what you see in the VBE window beforehand. ... on some of the machines. ...
    (microsoft.public.word.docmanagement)
  • Re: GPO problem
    ... Are these machines all XP machines that are having this issue? ... server. ... window and ask them to change their password. ... access any resources on file server. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)