Hackers put flashing images on epilepsy site

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24510864/

SAN FRANCISCO - Computer attacks typically don't inflict physical pain on their victims.

But in a rare example of an attack apparently motivated by malice rather than money, hackers recently bombarded the Epilepsy Foundation's Web site with hundreds of pictures and links to pages with rapidly flashing images.

The breach triggered severe migraines and near-seizure reactions in some site visitors who viewed the images. People with photosensitive epilepsy can get seizures when they're exposed to flickering images, a response also caused by some video games and cartoons.

The attack happened when hackers exploited a security hole in the foundation's publishing software that allowed them to quickly make numerous posts and overwhelm the site's support forums.

Within the hackers' posts were small flashing pictures and links — masquerading as helpful — to pages that exploded with kaleidoscopic images pulsating with different colors.

"They were out to create seizures," said Ken Lowenberg, senior director of Web and print publishing for the foundation.

He said legitimate users are no longer able to post animated images to the support forum or create direct links to other sites, and it is now moderated around the clock. He said the FBI is investigating the breach.

Security experts said the attack highlights the dangers of Web sites giving visitors great freedom to post content to different parts of the site.

In another recent attack, hackers exploited a simple coding vulnerability in Sen. Barack Obama's Web site to redirect users visiting the community blogs section to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's official campaign site.

The hackers who infiltrated the Epilepsy Foundation's site didn't appear to care about profit. The harmful pages didn't appear to try to push down code that would allow the hacker to gain control of the victims' computers, for instance.

"I count this in the same category of teenagers who think it's funny to put a cat in a bag and throw it over a clothesline — they don't realize how cruel it is," said Paul Ferguson, a security researcher at antivirus software maker Trend Micro Inc. "It was an opportunity waiting to happen for some mean-spirited kid."

I just don't understand how or why people would want to be so mean. I mean...what were they trying to prove or accomplish by this? That they are the world's biggest assholes?

Why do people laugh at shock humour? There lies the answer.

Must be a slow news day, this happened months ago and they are only just reporting it now.

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Originally Posted by ClouD

Why do people laugh at shock humour? There lies the answer.

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That's actually a question, not an answer :D And it's because we're sadists that enjoy a little Schadenfreude every once in a while. All part of being human, good with the bad.

I do however think there is a big difference between a person that laughs at this news story and a person that perpetrated the act. I can laugh heartily at this while simultaneously feeling bad for the people involved, and a certain amount of pity for the person who inflicted it on them. We are complex creatures.

I see your point but I still will never understand how people can think that inflicting pain on others is humor. Especially attacking their disabilities...It just kind of makes me sick...but this could lead to a huge debate that no one would really win, I think.

I hope they find the scum and put them in prison. I love great practical jokes, and I am a major fan of dark humor, but I despise actual victimization of the innocent in real life on such a sick level. They might as well have played ghost hoaxes in the houses of paranoid schizophrenics or dropped off Alzheimer's patients in the middle of the woods. Ha ha. :whyohwhy:

omg... ^ that is horrible!

...but I agree..sick sick people.

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Originally Posted by still composed

I just don't understand how or why people would want to be so mean. I mean...what were they trying to prove or accomplish by this? That they are the world's biggest assholes?

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It's called lulz, laughing at other people's expense.

Oh and, I definitely got some lulz out of this. I guess that's what makes me a /b/tard.

fuck yea /b/tards, i lol'd HARD

you would think if you had epilepsy, that you'd have some form of damper on your web viewing - adblock, flashblock, noscript, etc. etc.

it's not like flashing images are uncommon
hell, a lot of the adverts on sites have some form of attention seeking thing going on (flashing colours, fast moving animation)

look at UM's avatar

but anyway...

maybe that's why they hacked into the site.

hacking the site wouldn't do squat for client-side precautions

So, you're saying it was stuff like this they put up on that website

Oh...then uhh...well...I don't know then...Hah

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Originally Posted by Marvo

So, you're saying it was stuff like this they put up on that website

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I'm at work on a government computer...so they have almost every site blocked here..so I definitely can't see that link :(

Learn to proxy.

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Originally Posted by Marvo

Learn to proxy.

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tried..still doesn't work.

Learn to proxy correctly.

or, learn by proxy

can't view something?
email it to a friend

if they come back with "Aaahh, what the fuck is wrong with you!!"
then you know not to look at it
but an "ooh, cool, thanks for that" means you can safely view it at home

these computers are on lock down..trust me..I've tried porxy a million different ways and it doesn't work..plus they monitor a lot...so i'd rather just wait til I get home..but thanks.

Ah, well if it's in the software, proxies won't fix it.

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Originally Posted by still composed

I'm at work on a government computer...so they have almost every site blocked here..so I definitely can't see that link :(

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Imagine a rainbow throwing up, then put 1990 NES Teenage mutant ninja turtles music over the top of it.

wow.

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Originally Posted by Ynot

look at UM's avatar

but anyway...

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That's the kind of flashing they're talking about? My avatar is a seizure hazard?

i would assume so...I didn't actually see the site or any pictures...just the news article..

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Originally Posted by still composed

i would assume so...I didn't actually see the site or any pictures...just the news article..

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Now I am really skeptical. For that matter, the beginning of a movie on a projector screen is a seizure hazard, and so are strobe lights and police/ambulance/fire truck sirens. There is a limit to how much the world can bend over. I thought they were talking about some special kind of flashing that was specifically aimed at causing seizures.

I don't think my avatar actually flashes any way. It just spins white around and kind of resembles flashing.

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Originally Posted by Marvo

Learn to proxy correctly.

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Even my school has no proxies my work.. I wonder if a government building would have higher security.

logmein.com

Hmmm,
I've see enough films to know what US government agency works out of Virginia

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Originally Posted by Ynot

Hmmm,
I've see enough films to know what US government agency works out of Virginia

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that would be a lot...

oh, fair enough...

so you're not a CIA agent, then?

damn :(

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Originally Posted by Universal Mind

Now I am really skeptical. For that matter, the beginning of a movie on a projector screen is a seizure hazard, and so are strobe lights and police/ambulance/fire truck sirens. There is a limit to how much the world can bend over. I thought they were talking about some special kind of flashing that was specifically aimed at causing seizures.

I don't think my avatar actually flashes any way. It just spins white around and kind of resembles flashing.

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I agree that we can only bend over so much..but that was their forum and I'm sure they have rules and what not about the kinds of pictures you can post..so I'm sure you wouldn't see any avatars or pictures like your's on there.

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Originally Posted by Dreamworld

Even my school has no proxies my work.. I wonder if a government building would have higher security.

logmein.com

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They do.

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Originally Posted by Ynot

you would think if you had epilepsy, that you'd have some form of damper on your web viewing - adblock, flashblock, noscript, etc. etc.

it's not like flashing images are uncommon
hell, a lot of the adverts on sites have some form of attention seeking thing going on (flashing colours, fast moving animation)

look at UM's avatar

but anyway...

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I tell you Ynot you always seem to hit the nail right on the coffin. I was trying to figure that one out as well. Where the hell are the end-users security precautions?

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Originally Posted by Marvo

It's called lulz, laughing at other people's expense.

Oh and, I definitely got some lulz out of this. I guess that's what makes me a /b/tard.

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Thats pretty fucking sick. I guess that is what makes you a /b/tard, and what makes that place the bottom of the barrell.

If all the hardcore /b/tards died, I think the world would probably be a better place.

That is sick and twisted.
I personally don't get any laughs out if it but eh that's me.

If somehow the people getting hurt element would be removed from it, that would be funny. i.e. if all the people who suffered seizures thought that was funny (very unlikely) but I agree it's really sick to do something like that.

By the way that blue/green weird post was hilarious for some reason.

And no, UM's avatar is not dangerous in any way, and it's kinda stupid to think so. It's more like hardcore strobe light in dark room thing, with different colors...

Anyone else tense up when they saw that animation, thinking "Okay, this is it, time to find out whether I'm an epileptic"

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Originally Posted by still composed

these computers are on lock down..trust me..I've tried porxy a million different ways and it doesn't work..plus they monitor a lot...so i'd rather just wait til I get home..but thanks.

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www.identitycondom.com

Believe me, Marvo, if 4ailchan would have been involved in this one, it would have been ruined.

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Originally Posted by AspirationRealized

If all the hardcore /b/tards died, I think the world would probably be a better place.

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Of all the people in the world most deserving to die, you pick the immature children of the internet?

Glad to see someone's priorities are in order :roll:

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Originally Posted by Alextanium

Of all the people in the world most deserving to die, you pick the immature children of the internet?

Glad to see someone's priorities are in order :roll:

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Rolf, you're putting words in my mouth.

Just because killing the immature children of the internet would make the world the better place, doesn't mean there aren't bigger fish to fry. 4chaners are a small sliver of people that would be better off (for the rest of us) dead.

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Originally Posted by still composed

I just don't understand how or why people would want to be so mean. I mean...what were they trying to prove or accomplish by this? That they are the world's biggest assholes?

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Pure out of ignorance, they are to stupid to realize what they are doing. They think people having a seizure isn't such a big deal, and they are of the opinion that the fun of pulling off a prank like that was more important than the dangers of seizures of epileptics.

But hey, if you're an epileptic, you're bound to stumble upon a flashing image when you are browsing the web. It's not nice what they did, but it's imo nothing but a not so harmless joke.

hmm i would also think you could buy some kind of epileptic monitor which would not put out images like that in a way that causes epileptic attacks, maybe if there isn't one they should make them..

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Originally Posted by cuddleyperson

hmm i would also think you could buy some kind of epileptic monitor which would not put out images like that in a way that causes epileptic attacks, maybe if there isn't one they should make them..

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some sort of algorithm that analyses the frames in an animation, and maps out a graph of "flashiness" from start to finish, or something

christ,
think of the testing phase
puts a new spin on "fit for purpose"

actually, I think this would work
comparing every frame with it's neighbours

a complete invert of colours would be 100% "flashy"
dropping down for different colour values
black -> white = 100
black -> blue = 70
down to no change between colours at 0%

you'd need the algorithm to be fairly adaptable
with the ability to ignore, say below 10% areas
(large animation, mostly non-changing black with a small highly flashy box in the centre would need to ignore the black areas)

You need some sort of base line
a line, which, if breached is likely to cause epilepsy
say, for example, the line is 70% "flashy"

Once you've got the algorithm, use it to build a graph across the whole sequence of frames

any parts of the image that breach the base line,
manipulate the colours to bring the peak below the base line

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Originally Posted by AspirationRealized

Rolf, you're putting words in my mouth.

Just because killing the immature children of the internet would make the world the better place, doesn't mean there aren't bigger fish to fry. 4chaners are a small sliver of people that would be better off (for the rest of us) dead.

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You're talking about /b/, as if it hasn't created anything good :/

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Originally Posted by Marvo

You're talking about /b/, as if it hasn't created anything good :/

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I don't think anyone thinks about /b/ and gets altruistic visions...

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Originally Posted by Alextanium

Glad to see someone's priorities are in order :roll:

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Of all the people who's priorities need to be in order, you pick this guy?

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Originally Posted by Grod

Of all the people who's priorities need to be in order, you pick this guy?

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QFT

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Originally Posted by Alextanium

Must be a slow news day, this happened months ago and they are only just reporting it now.



That's actually a question, not an answer :D And it's because we're sadists that enjoy a little Schadenfreude every once in a while. All part of being human, good with the bad.

I do however think there is a big difference between a person that laughs at this news story and a person that perpetrated the act. I can laugh heartily at this while simultaneously feeling bad for the people involved, and a certain amount of pity for the person who inflicted it on them. We are complex creatures.

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