Full Disclosure mailing list archives
Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it?
From: Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 12:19:02 -0500
On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 22:22:30 EST, KrispyKringle said:
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/1030_new.html) forbids one to, among other things, ``knowingly cause the transmission of a program, information, code, or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally cause damage without authorization, to a protected computer,'' which pretty much covers viruses and other malware. This would appear to apply to the Lycos software as well, given that it ``causes damage without authorization to a protected computer.'' So that is the key point, one that has not, to my knowledge, been tested in court.
The point that Lycos is probably betting on is the "causes damage". If their rate-limiting works, they're *NOT* actually causing a DDoS - if the site is still responding, claiming "damage to the computer" is quite the reach. Damage to the bandwidth bill from your provider - that's something else. Not sure that's a criminal offense, but I'd not be at all surprised if the ISP left holding the bag for the unpail bill (what - you think the spammer will actually pay for the bandwidth? ;) might go after Lycos on the "your actions cost me money" theory of civil tort.
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Current thread:
- If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? n3td3v (Dec 01)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? KrispyKringle (Dec 01)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? n3td3v (Dec 01)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Kyle Maxwell (Dec 02)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Valdis . Kletnieks (Dec 02)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? n3td3v (Dec 01)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? James Tucker (Dec 02)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Adam Challis (Dec 02)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Ansgar Esztermann (Dec 02)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Constantin Hofstetter (Dec 02)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Valdis . Kletnieks (Dec 02)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? KrispyKringle (Dec 02)
- RE: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Michael R. Schmidt (Dec 04)
- RE: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Dave Horsfall (Dec 05)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Gautam R. Singh (Dec 05)
- RE: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? Gautam R. Singh (Dec 05)
- Re: If Lycos can attack spammer sites, can we all start doing it? KrispyKringle (Dec 01)