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Why do people do these things? They're breaking the law, they're not getting paid. But they are getting attention. When someone defaces a site, it used to get archived on a web server, and it became a trophy on the wall. When someone launches a new virus, they can scan the news media and read the reports about it. They crave attention; even though anonymous they're getting it. What I have to wonder is whether a decline in the amount of news coverage of these kinds of things would result in a decline in actual occurrences. If no-one ever got to see a story about their virus on News.com or any of the other tech publications, there would be much less incentive to write them. The other side of the coin, of course, is that the best defense against these things is knowledge. Many of these inimical programs spread by getting people to click on and run something, and if people are alert then they are less likely to do so. That's what the news organizations will tell you is their motivation for publicizing them. Still, as a side effect they also encourage the creation of new viruses. It's an imperfect world. (discuss) Update: Besides, it gives |
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