Yet Another Reason To Avoid Blogger

We all know that Blogger is the root of all blogging evil. It’s been well documented in the past that Blogger has been hacked and malicious scripts, viruses and malware installed on users’ blogs.

BBC News is reporting today that Alex Eckelberry from Sunbelt Software noticed booby-trapped links on 27 August.

From the report:

Now many hundreds of blogs on the site have been updated with a short entry containing the link.

Mr Eckelberry said it was not yet clear how the links were posted to blogs. The bogus entries could have exploited a Blogger feature that lets users e-mail entries to their journal.

You would have thought that after the first three widely publicised takedowns that Google (who own Blogger) would have tightened security on the application. Apparently not.

Among the other recipients of spam e-mails generated by the virus are users’ mail2blogger accounts, which allow them to update their blogs via e-mail,” said the spokesperson.

The email addresses on mail2blogger accounts are stored in Blogger so that the system can associate the account with the email address. A simple (relatively of course) or an insider would be able to get said email addresses and pass/sell to the “gang”. This would mean two things:

1, The “gang” would be able to post the malicious scripts to blogs via cloaked email.
2. The “gang” would be able to email the script to the owner of the email address infecting their computer and causing it to pass on the script in the usual virus like manner.

I don’t know about others but I try my hardest to avoid blogs hosted by or running Blogger type software. Yes, I may be missing out on decent content but I just really can’t stand the interface, the spam advertising, the porn and the black templates of death.

My suggestions:

1. Avoid any blogs on blogger.
2. If you want to blog, use a decent service. Yes, it’s very restricted but so far there have been no reports of hacking into the system.
3. Get a Mac.

The Finch Wants A Mac!

Yes, I admit it. I want to turn to the dark side. Yesterday I got to play with my cousin’s (careful! No gay incest here thanks!) Mac Book. Quite simply, it just worked. It was sleek, slick and something else beginning with S (not slimy!) that I can’t think of right now.

I was talking to two guys at work on Friday night and both of them are Mac converts. They gave me the links to a couple of videos on the Apple website, one of them was Steve J’s August 2007 keynote about iLife and iWork ‘08.

So, in a fit, a frenzy and something else beginning with F (not ….) that I can’t think of, the decision was made to purchase a Mac of some description. The question is, which one?

I love the look of the Mac Mini, I already have USB keyboard and mouse and my Gucci (if a little old at 2 years) Acer 19″ widescreen. Getting the Mac Mini will allow me to use the existing gear with a KVM and run the PC and the Mac.

The iMac looks even better but the Mac Mini just makes more sense. I have three monitors on the desk as it is. Do I want another?

But then I think of the Mac Book’s portability. That’s a huge bonus as I have no decent laptop at all.

But then I think of the Mac Book Pro and it’s extra features like the DVD burner and the extra hard disc space.

Aaarrrgh! See my problem? So, I have two tasks for both my loyal readers to undertake should you desire:

1. Help me choose. Mac Mini or Mac Book? I would like to hear your reasoning for choosing one over the other.

2. I would like to see some sites or objective real time reviews of Macs. I know next to nothing about them at the moment and I get the impression that watching a keynote from Steve Jobs is no different to watching Billy G go on about how great Vista is. And we ALL know the truth about that!

If you really want, then please try putting me off my impending purchase (and doom!), god knows how I’m going to afford it…