\nIt was a beautifully written piece of code… all in javascript. What this worm did was, it added Samy as a hero in the profile of every person who visited Samy’s profile.
\nAnd that’s not all, it also added Samy as a hero to the visitors who visited ANY affected profile.
\nHe gives a beautiful (and “for-dummies”) writeup:
\nStory in his own words<\/a>
\nTechnical details<\/a><\/p>\n
It created a havoc. Lakhs of profiles were infected in a few hours. MySpace had to take down the site to “repair” it.
\nThe code is so beautifully crafted that it made me smile.<\/p>\n
Now, was this wrong?
\nTo a certain extent, YES.<\/p>\n
Was it a punishable crime?
\nmmm… Depends on the extent and type of punishment. [If my views matter… well it’s my blog, so it matters \ud83d\ude09 ]\n
The recent news is that Samy has been sentenced for three years of probation <\/span>and 90 hours of community service. <\/span>He cannot have access to internet<\/span> during this period. [Though I am not able to understand what it means. He’ll anyways be using ATM etc.]\nHowever, this kind of “punishment” doesn’t make a sense to me.<\/p>\n If we really have to punish the “culprits”, why not punish MySpace too? These are questions that cannot be answered because the world belongs to the BIG-BAD-BOYS.<\/span> I am reminded of an incident that Lalit told me about.<\/span> “… but why?”<\/span> Well…. That makes sense now.<\/span>
\nWhy shouldn’t MySpace take the responsibility of the privacy of it’s users?
\nWhy was MySpace stupid to allow DIV<\/span> tags?
\nWhy shouldn’t iexplorer and safari be sentenced for allowing javascript inside CSS?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\nWhat this boy did not <\/span>really <\/span>harm anyone. He could have modified the code to steal private information, (the way your gmail book can be stolen).<\/span>
\nMoreover, he published the code after MySpace had fixed the problem.<\/span>
\n……. and yet he has been SENTENCED.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThere was this guy who informed the site administrator about some loophole in his site and was jailed.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n“Because you are not supposed to peek inside my house, even if the door is open.”<\/span>
\n“… and what if I am one of those who have signed up to stay in your house? Isn’t my privacy your responsibility? Shouldn’t I be allowed to check the locks and doors?”<\/span>
\n“No. I am a freaking BIG-BAD-BOY. You’ve no right to mess with me. If you even dare, be prepared to be jailed.”<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>So next time you find a loophole either sit silently or sell it.<\/span>
\nThat’s all I can conclude.<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.digg.com\/img\/little-digg.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"