Framed for child porn — by a PC virus

This is scary. While Linux may not be vulnerable (as far as we know it) now, if they do come up with a Linux variant will it take longer to detect as fewer scanning tools are in use by Linux users than proprietary systems?

Framed for child porn — by a PC virus](http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20091109/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_a_virus_framed_me)
Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses — the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, it’s your reputation that’s stolen.

Pedophiles can exploit virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their stash without fear they’ll get caught. Pranksters or someone trying to frame you can tap viruses to make it appear that you surf illegal Web sites.

Whatever the motivation, you get child porn on your computer — and might not realize it until police knock at your door.

An Associated Press investigation found cases in which innocent people have been branded as pedophiles after their co-workers or loved ones stumbled upon child porn placed on a PC through a virus. It can cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove their innocence.

Could you imagine it’s use if they compromise Apache servers?

I read that story this morning. Just another reason to make sure your PC is secure at all times.

Does AppArmor help at all with restricting unauthorized downloads? What about SELinux?

nods

I kinda feel sorry for the framed guy, though. There are people out there doing things without realizing the impact on another one’s life and it’s getting progressively worse

What’s the world coming to? Doing something to get others in very serious trouble deliberately is… like, HORRIBLE! >:(

And yes, I re-ask dragonbite’s question: are AppArmor or SELinux capable of blocking such threats? SELinux maybe, it’s very restricive, don’t know about AppArmor though.

SELinux can prevent most threats these days, but a layman may need to convert himself into a tech geek before configuring it properly. Granted, configuration has been improved a lot recently, but it’s still not for the faint and may take a lot of time to just get it where you want it. Alternative can be to run an IDS (intrusion detection system) like Snort

I feel bad for the guy too. It has cost him and his family everything they owned.

On 2009-11-10, microchip8 <microchip8@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:
>> I read that story this morning. Just another reason to make sure your PC
>> is secure at all times.
>
> nods
>
> I kinda feel sorry for the framed guy, though. There are people out
> there doing things without realizing the impact on another one’s life
> and it’s getting progressively worse

Yeah, and a incredible number of those work for justice/law enforcement.

I read that story, too. It took them 11 months before the victim was off the
hook. And that when he can show that some DL’s where done while he wasn’t
even at home?

An apology / sacking is in place, I’d say.


Any time things appear to be going better, you have overlooked
something.

Oh, you’re right. Don’t even get me started on the corrupt justice system. It’s virtually impossible to bring them down, like they can never fail and I bet they see themselves as tiny deities always being just and never wrong. If you caught them being wrong, all they return is the standard “no comment” thing and then run and hide behind closed doors

Not very relevant to this thread, but how about fining a guy a few millions 'cause he pulled a few crappy songs off the net? That’s flatout disgusting to me and many others