Click Bots

Interesting Wired article on click fraud and the scam artistry involved. Very scary for the ordinary internet user that their computer could be hijacked and become part of a "zombie network"

"Probably the most worrisome emerging threat is zombie networks - hordes of linked machines controlled by rogue software. Without their owners' knowledge, these boxes continuously send spam, transmit worms and viruses, participate in denial-of-service attacks, and execute a host of other antisocial tasks."

Paul Graham talks about what makes a great hacker and others have attempted to get inside the hacker mind. The industry needs to know its adversary much better so it can be ahead of the game instead of playing expensive catch-up.

"If you'd told me five years ago that I would be talking about 'fake clicks,' I would have told you that you were crazy," says John Slade, who leads Yahoo!'s click protection efforts. "Now it's all I spend my time on."