OS X worm saga turns it up a notch with death threats

If you can keep track of the bad TV movie / high school drama that the OS X worm saga has become, hats off to you. In the latest round of confusing doublespeak from the underbelly of the security world, a few key players are (possibly) taking turns swapping identities -- and trading death threats. In the latest installment, Jon Ramsey is Infosec Sellout, David Maynor is LMH, anonymous commenters are promising to "put a bullet in your head for this!" and a spooky legion of "black hat" hackers known as the "Phrack High Council," (or PHC) are doing their best Freemasons impersonation. Now, with the Infosec site deletions, and Dave Maynor's supposed self-outing, calls being issued for the worm to be proven in the wild are increasingly mixed with the literal cries of bloody murder -- all over what can best be described as the lamest hoax for the biggest nerds in internet history. Check out the Computerworld article for some... insight?

Update: As noted by a few commenters, David Maynor is now claiming on his blog that he isn't LMH, and that the admission "from" him had been faked. Of course, in this subterfuge-filled war of words, we'll take it with a grain of salt.

[Via Slashdot]

[guilt+1 @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:42AM]

In what world does the announcement of a worm warrant death threats ?
I don't understand what the big deal is.





A Mac user who doesn't care

[Joseph @ Jul 23rd 2007 1:04PM]

What makes a better headline?

"Joking gets out of hand / crosses the line with threats"
or
"Wow! WTF! OMG! DEATH THREATS....SERIOUS ONES!!!!"

[William @ Jul 23rd 2007 3:10PM]

It would seem that we, as users and readers are the ones giving power to these idiots. Who really cares about a worm that takes 75 steps to implement, and to what end anyhow? Some guy sitting in his basement got his 15 minutes, lets move on.

[Darnell @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:47AM]

In the same world where mail men shoot each other.

[Bigsby @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:52AM]

I don't really believe that this guy has actually made this worm for Mac OSX, but in either case, why have so many people gotten worked up enough to issue death threats? I've never heard of someone receiving death threats from a Windows or Linux virus.

So, Overzealous Portion of the Mac Community.

Srsly man, chill out, or fall in a well and die.

[paloooz @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:56AM]

Nothing to see here, folks. Let's not start another Win/Mac flame thread.

Miles - Do yourself a favor and don't post. ;-)

kthxbye

[Jonathan Keim @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:52AM]

Wow, is it just me that is surprised that Engadget would include "WTF"

[shamrock593 @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:57AM]

Just you... =)

[Dean Lowe @ Jul 23rd 2007 12:06PM]

When talking about death threats a WTF is warranted.

[johnnyg0 @ Jul 23rd 2007 12:06PM]

Its sounds like the fanboys are getting into the "extreme" game, maybe "Orthodox Fanboy" would be the right term to use here.

"OSX is the most secure OS of all time, or I will kill you all!!"

The world is mad.

[Adam @ Jul 23rd 2007 12:48PM]

"Orthodox Fanboy" - haha brilliant!

how about Apple Extremists, I think the media would pick that one up and run with it.

[Josh @ Jul 23rd 2007 1:00PM]

Tune in next week when President Bush declares war on Cupertino.

[David @ Jul 23rd 2007 1:47PM]

No!!!!! That's where I live!!!!

...but I work at AMD.

[doctorSpoc @ Jul 23rd 2007 12:11PM]

David Maynor is the guy that did the MacBook wireless vulnerability hoax.. if this guy is behind this worm you can be pretty sure it's BS... it's coming up on two years and he hasn't been able to demo that vulnerability yet.. must be getting desperate again.. he runs his own consultancy now after he was let go by his employer and no one will touch him with a ten foot pole.. probably moved back into his mom's basement... what a loser... get a life!

[Phil Perman @ Jul 23rd 2007 12:25PM]

Oh, its all so clear now, why mac users claim their platform is the most secure one out there. Its because they go around murdering all the people who discover bugs before they can release them!

[furyoo @ Jul 23rd 2007 12:54PM]

That's actually not a bad idea.

[Karim @ Jul 23rd 2007 1:35PM]

I think that is the plot of the next 007 movie.

James Bond WILL return in

HACKTOPUSSY

YOU ONLY SPAWN TWICE

DAEMONS ARE FOREVER

A VIEW TO A BUFFER OVERFLOW

640K IS NOT ENOUGH

[SjG @ Jul 23rd 2007 2:49PM]

Hm. Interesting security strategy. Might even work.

I'd rather see it used against spammers, myself. But hey, gotta be pragmatic (times being what they are, etc).

But in all seriousness, death threats are no joke, even taking into consideration the lack of seriousness/credibility of the rabid fanbois.

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 5:01PM]

Karim FTW!

Nicely played old chap!

[billyboy @ Jul 23rd 2007 1:05PM]

Jeez folks, does it occur to anybody else that if the 'worm' threat is all hot air, then it's a possibility that 'death threats' over it are also just as fake?

It's been noted more than a few times that this all seems a bit weird. Probably just too weird to be true?

And nice job on the part of engadget going about and confirming what they're reporting on.... oh... wait. No they don't do that, they just report on rumor and innuendo.

As if those in the 'mac' camp don't have enough to worry about, now the apple haters think that we're all a bunch of murderous sociopaths. And why? Because so-and-so said they got a death threat over an osx worm that was never confirmed to be real.

[Leonard Nimrod @ Jul 23rd 2007 4:44PM]

@ Karim,

HAHA Clever!

[obiwan @ Jul 23rd 2007 2:25PM]

I heard that the worm is being demo'd by Steorn. Reportedly, the worm is able to propogate on its own, forever!

[obiwan @ Jul 23rd 2007 2:27PM]

I heard that the worm is being demo'd by Steorn. Reportedly, the worm is able to propogate on its own, forever!

[obiwan @ Jul 23rd 2007 2:28PM]

Stupid glitchy double post! WTF? Seriously? Death Treat (not to be confused with Death Threat).

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 3:06PM]

mmmmm death treat...

[JM @ Jul 23rd 2007 2:49PM]

Death threats on the internet are a dime a dozen. And if you order now you get a 10 cent instant rebate.

Internet users are mostly jerks. Always have been, always will be. And if you disagree I'll shoot you and bury your body in the dessert so deep they'll never be able to dig up your body from the dessert even if they blow up the dessert with nuclear bombs!!!1!!one!

[Tony @ Jul 23rd 2007 4:48PM]

I'd like to be buried in the chocolate cake personally...

(It's desert, not dessert)

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 5:02PM]

Oh boy!

Cheesecake for me!

(I ate my greens!)

[Ken @ Jul 24th 2007 8:11AM]

You'd blow up my dessert with nuclear bombs? Here's a trick for remembering desert vs dessert, "which do you want more of?" That extra "s" in dessert denotes yumminess.

...

I'd much rather this rage be devoted towards worms and spam under Windows. Hackers and IDS folks get all worked up over a yet-unseen worm under OS X, yet are ho-hum about 4 billion Nigerian email scams, Viagra ads, Cialis ads, and the 12 Windows viruses released just today.

[Freedo Lahy @ Aug 28th 2007 11:03AM]

I know this is real late but I'm a procrastinator!
And it allows me to multi comment!

RE:JM
Why are these people sooo anal that they don't realize that you MEANT dessert? I got it! Everyone wants to do the superior dance so badly that can't spot the difference between typo's and deliberate symbolism! And blowing up my dessert with a nuclear bomb is all the symbolism "I" need!

RE:Dean
No, EVEN when death threats are implied or if a body turns up...
WTF is not ever warranted by ANYONE over the age of 13! (SORRY 13yr olds)

RE:Joseph
THAT’S the problem, where better headlines are more important than FACT!
RE:Phil,
Yes... It has WORKED so far!

RE:BillyBoy
1) WHERE is Mac Camp? I missed it this year!
2) Embrace their fear don't hide from it. Whenever I travel to Cali, people assume I am a killer because I come from NYC, ride a Harley, and look like a casting call applicant for Hells Angels Ride Free or Die...
People want to think Mac users are murderers.... Let them live in their own world!


RE:bombastinator
NO ONE cares what Wiki says...

And finally RE:Ben
I'd much rather this rage be devoted towards the SORRY shape the US is in, the constitution is in, Civil Liberties are in, Free Thought is in, Dissention is in, The War in Iraq, Unfettered Eavesdropping, the collapsing dollar, BUT...
That may be asking TOO much when there is the RUMOUR of a death threat somewhere regarding the rumor of an OSx worm! I UNDERSTAND priorities!

Now....

Can WE hear from Miles now?

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 3:06PM]

Let 'em have at each other.

Think if it as evolution in action.

[bombastinator @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:46PM]

"when in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.."


-Unknown (No it's not Heinlein it's a good bit older than that. I don't care what the Heinlein fans wiki says)

[Daran @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:48PM]

ARG

[Roy Garringer @ Jul 24th 2007 1:00AM]

Really don't need to see "WTF" on your site nor to have my son say "Daddy, what does that mean?"

[JM @ Jul 24th 2007 10:30AM]

"nor to have my son say "Daddy, what does that mean?""

Tell him to justfuckinggoogleit.

http://justfuckinggoogleit.com/