This Is Reporting? Fox News Ties Flame Malware To Angry Birds Because Both Use Lua

from the wow dept

We're often told that the big media companies need to be saved because of all the important expensive reporting work they do. And then we see something absolutely ridiculous, such as Fox News linking the infamous Flame malware to Angry Birds... because both use the Lua computing language (found via Slashdot):

This is, of course, a complete pointless linkage, which seems to serve no purpose whatsoever, other than (perhaps) to attract the attention of those who are obsessed with Angry Birds (an admittedly large group of people). But just because two programs are written in the same language, it doesn't mean... well, it doesn't mean anything of importance whatsoever. Instead, it just seems like Fox News and its "Chief Intelligence Correspondent" Catherine Herridge needed to fill some space and came up with something entirely pointless. But, you know, we need those big professional news companies because of deep, hard-hitting stories like this one.
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Filed Under: angry birds, flame, lua, malware, news
Companies: fox news


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  • icon
    Rikuo (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:15am

    Ya know, I was going to try and come up with a witty comment, but I won't. I just won't. Not after reading this. There's a tie because...they're both written in LUA? Okay how about this
    "Controversial 'Mein Kampf' book tied to Erich Kaestner children's stories".

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Anonymous Coward of Esteemed Trolling (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:29am

      help with a witty comment.

      LUA is a interpreted scripting language.
      Flame Malware was written in LUA.
      F-Secure couldn't detect Flame.



      Script kiddies: 1 ... AV companies: 0

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Anonymous Coward of Esteemed Trolling (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:44am

        Forgot to say

        Fox News +9001, for trolling Old people and racists by "connecting non connections".

        ......Angry Birds......( Fox viewers thoughts )

        Fuuukiing "Obama Bin Kenyan" at it again , attacking our hate of birds now !



        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:08am

      Re:

      I have a horn. Do you have a bicycle to go with it?

      I'll Ring you.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mr Big Content, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:19am

    It's A Legitimate Point

    If their writing legitimate software, why don't they use a legitimate, accepted language, like Microsoft Visual Basic? The mere fact that there choosing to use something obscure like Lua shows that they must have something to hide!

    This is why I love Fox News. They ask the tricky questions that nobody else dares to contemplate! You're site could learn something from them, Mike!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Jeremy Lyman (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:33am

      Re: It's A Legitimate Point

      Your homophones are killing me. Just a little bit and very slowly, but killing me nonetheless.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      bratwurzt (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:24am

      Re: It's A Legitimate Point

      Reverse-trolling at its best. Funny as trolls (stupid ones) count you as one of them!

      Everything should be written in Microsoft visual basic!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 9 Jun 2012 @ 6:16pm

        Re: Re: It's A Legitimate Point

        and, just think, if only google had followed this logic when developing android, they never would have been sued!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:19am

    Don't let them know World of Warcraft uses LUA, or their heads will 'splode.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      MrWilson, 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:01am

      Re:

      OMG! That's the connection! Anders Breivek killed a whole bunch of people after training in WoW because LUA is the language of terrorists and murderers! If we just profile anyone who uses LUA, we can prevent all terrorist acts and mass murders! I bet that Canadian cannnibal guy models in LUA...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 3:17pm

        Re: Re:

        Worse than that I just realized the Unibomber Manifesto was written in English and FOX News is in English so if one was a terrorist they must both be terrorists.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:24am

    Catherine Herridge needed to fill some space and came up with something entirely pointless. But, you know, we need those big professional news companies because of deep, hard-hitting stories like this one.

    LMAO @ Pirate Mike! Priceless. Mike, who does nothing but post pointless nonsense (including this very article) whining about others doing the same. Too funny. Nobody's coming to TechTurd for "hard-hitting stories" either, Pirate Mike. You're all surface and no depth. I love it--the guy who runs one of the most idiotic, whiny blogs on the 'net is upset at other people's fluff pieces. Awesome!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      IronM@sk, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:31am

      Re:

      What?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:59am

        Re: Re:

        That will de 14.35 €, please. I own the copyright on that "What?"

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:26am

        Re: Re:

        Wat?


        There, fixed that for you.

        I'll even give you CC license for it.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      justok (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:35am

      Re:

      pointless????
      Keeps you occupied, doesn't he? He provides something that you state, categorically, "I love it" and "Awesome".

      High praise indeed.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:45am

      Re:

      There is a difference between what Mike writes and what Fox reports. What Mike writes on this site is free to read, you have to pay for the drivel reported by Fox. Yet, somehow I trust Techdirt more than Fox.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Prisoner 201, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:58am

      Re:

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:00am

      Re:

      The irony of your comment about Mike and his whining is completely lost on you I bet.

      To be clear, you are doing what you're ridiculing Mike of. And you do it much more often than would be considered acceptable and much more often than Mike. But in your eyes pointing out problems with laws and overreaching and whatnot is considered whining. Which is hilarious considering it would be just whining, if Mike also didn't point out how they can do better and offer suggestions on exactly that.

      Whiny Troll is whiny. That's your new nickname, Whiny Troll. You are no longer just a troll. Guys let's all start calling him this and flagging his ad hom comments (since that's all they ever are).

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:17am

      Re:

      and your post is even more pointless, way to set a good example by showing how to waste everyone's, including your own, time.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:22am

      Re:

      I remember when trolls had class... sure that was a long time ago... but serriously now? I know I haven't cruised to the comments section in a long time but this looks like this guy ate a bucket of hate, crapped it out, ate that crap and this is the crap that came out after that.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      silverscarcat (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:31am

      Re:

      How...

      Pathetic.

      And I'm not sure if I'm talking about Fox News, you, or both right now.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:34am

        Re: Re:

        Everyone is a few days behind on this, but I too went off on a rant about this. Mine wasn't nearly as nice.

        This whole Fox News story just chilled me all the way to my IT bones. How in the hell can they even get away with reporting like that?

        As a network administrator and programmer that has been in the industry for over 15 years, I can say that allowing a news station to get away with making such an outlandish comparison just for ratings is dirty journalism at best.

        They are blatantly trying to misdirect any education about the IT world to people that need to understand it the most.

        I can't wait till this technology ignorant generation dies off.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      weneedhelp (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:51am

      Re:

      The retard AC whining about Mike whining about Faux "News"

      Feed the troll nom, nom, nom.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Almost Anonymous (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:01am

      Re:

      Nobody's coming to TechTurd for "hard-hitting stories" either, Pirate Mike.

      You're right, of course. This site is just a honey-pot for trolls.

      techdirt: We keep trolls busy. You're welcome internet!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      rubberpants, 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:07am

      Re:

      Whiner.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      MrWilson, 5 Jun 2012 @ 10:01am

      Re:

      As Obi-Wan Kenobi rhetorically asked of the internet, "who's the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows his RSS feed?"

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Cory of PC (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:27am

    Literal-Minded Here

    Hard-hitting stories? You mean: head + wall = new hole in wall?

    Really, that's what I feel like doing right now, only minus the wall with my desk.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:29am

    obviously someone at Fox News doesn't like/cant play/keeps getting beaten by Angry Birds!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:40am

    It's Fox News. To think they know what they are talking about when it comes to evidence is ridiculous. They're all experts in lying.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      byte^me (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:00am

      Re:

      It's a big news corporation. To think they know what they are talking about when it comes to evidence is ridiculous. They're all experts in lying.

      FTFY

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        The eejit (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 10:42am

        Re: Re:

        Not quite. Fox has it made because they went to court for their constitutional right to lie to people, starting on a Florida smear campaign.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul Adams, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:44am

    Well, at least they didn't try to "sex it up", like during sweeps...

    The mendacity of the news is appalling: "Angry Birds" made from same programming language as new "Flame" virus.

    For most people, this is a non-story and thus it has to use "Angry Birds" to get anyone to pay attention at all. I'm kind of surprised that they didn't use "World of Warcraft", as their user modifications are written in the same language. Oh, my god...

    Tomorrows News Today: "Flame" virus writers practiced writing virus code with "World of Warcraft"! (Film at 11.)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Liz (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:45am

    I saw this story posted elsewhere and I honestly thought it was from The Onion.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bengie, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:01am

    Flame

    I hear flame works on x86 platforms, the a platform that the Windows Kernel runs on.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Nick Dynice (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:02am

    I don't think Fox News counts as one of the big news companies we need to keep around because of their investigative reporting. They are a propaganda outfit disguised as news.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Michael, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:13am

      Re:

      "They are a propaganda outfit disguised as news."

      Not just FOX but all the others as well.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        silverscarcat (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:35am

        Re: Re:

        Only those that claim to be news.

        It's funny, because the ones that DON'T claim to be news is where you find the real news.

        Jon Stewart
        Stephen Colbert
        Bill Maher

        All three are comedians first and reporters second.

        Sad thing is, they're far more reliable than traditional media.

        Mostly because they call out both sides for their stupidity.

        I remember when Stewart was yelling at Democrats for being p**sies and the Republicans for being ***holes.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        weneedhelp (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:58am

        Re: Re:

        All day on the nations only all terror network. All terror all the time. FOXSNBCNN.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        John Fenderson (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:52am

        Re: Re:

        True, but there is a difference in degree. Fox is batshit-crazy extremist right wing propaganda, everyone else is just varying degrees of ordinary right-wing propaganda.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:12am

    Exclusive...read it here first.

    Fox News is reported in English, the same language used to report on CNN/MSNBC!
    *GASP*
    I bet you will all be thinking twice now!
    (hardly)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The eejit (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:53am

      Re: Exclusive...read it here first.

      splode.gif

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Watchit (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 11:37am

      Re: Exclusive...read it here first.

      That's almost as shocking as the FOX news article I just read about Obama being the same species as suspected terrorists! Can you believe it!?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:12am

    "It just seems like Fox News ... needed to fill some space and came up with something entirely pointless."

    That's what Faux News does 24/7. You just summed up the entire news channel in one sentence.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:12am

    Fixed Noise..... I mean Fox News, enough said.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:14am

    No offense Mike, but who cares. I dunno why so many comments agree with you here either. It seems like you are making 'news' out of non-news here.

    Your link doesn't link to the entire article so I'm not exactly sure if the article does say anything suspect but from the picture the article only seems to say that the language that was used to write this 'cyberweapon' was the same language used to write Angry Birds. OK, so the title maybe a bit confusing, even misleading, but anyone who reads the article will quickly find it's just a title to grab attention. It's not like Techdirt (and every blog and newspaper) has never made somewhat catchy titles that are somewhat confusing and hyperbole and most don't fault much you for it (well, except the trolls, though I admit that I have looked at some of the Techdirt titles with confusion after reading the article and I may have complained about it before but it's really no big deal). It seems like the confusion is cleared upon reading the article.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:16am

      Re:

      don't fault you much for it *

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:23am

      Re:

      Oh, and let me add, never judge an article by its title ;)

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Lowestofthekeys (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:46am

      Re:

      It's not the nature of the title, but the way the article is attempting to use irrelevant references to mobile games.

      IF you were intelligent, you'd have seen it but alas, your vision is obscured by a grade school analysis.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Rikuo (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:52am

      Re:

      The headline is completely false. Was someone who was involved with the creation of Angry Birds also responsible in some fashion for the creation of Flame? No.
      The headline falsely proclaims a connection where NONE exists. As in my comment up above, Fox News might as well have a headline showing the connection between Mein Kamp and Erich Kaestner because both are written in German. It's a meaningless headline that is entirely unrelated to the article.

      As for Mike making a non-story, I have to disagree with you there. If no-one ever bothered to tell me that Fox News is actually Faux News, I wouldn't know about it. So kudos to Mike for letting us know. Keep on reporting that Fox News is full of crap! Let us hold on to hope that someday Fox News will actually live up to its catchprase of "Fair and Balanced".

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Leigh Beadon (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:15am

      Re:

      Yeah later the article really digs in with insightful reporting like "But this new weapon is twenty times the size of earlier cyberbombs and far more powerful"

      http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/30/powerful-flame-cyberweapon-tied-to-powerfully -angry-birds/

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 9:45am

      Re:

      Actually, the link to Angry Birds is one of the least comical and egregiously misleading things the article says.

      That article is a great example of "anti-news": a reader is actually left less informed for having read it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:19am

    This just in, all Supreme Court justices, all members of Congress, the Vice President, and even the President himself, and millions more all tied to Jerry Sandusky because they all speak English.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Beech, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:29am

    Breaking news! Fox news tied to this English translated copy of mein kampf!! Fox = nazis?!? News at 11

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike C. (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:32am

      Re:

      This just in... Fox News tied to the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda as both use devices called "video cameras" to create their broadcasts...

      /so what's this sarc mark look like anyway... :-)

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:32am

    Only cyber-terrorists play Angry Birds. Playing Angry Birds is un-American!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Cory of PC (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:10am

      Re:

      And that's why I like Plants vs. Zombies. Hey, at least I'm learning how to defend myself against the impending zombie apocalypse coming soon.

      And speaking of that...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:47am

    In other news, criminals share the same DNA as non-criminals.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:52am

    FOX really, really?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Keii (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:53am

    Fox News is full of pigs.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:54am

    Oh I get it, she doesn't like the game or she doesn't like birds.

    Oh the bird jokes this lady will have to endure may be punishment enough.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    quawonk, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:55am

    Charles Manson spoke English. We speak English. Therefore we're all serial killers.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    wbronco (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:56am

    grow up

    You're OVER-reacting. The connection to Angry Birds was only made to give the average 'grown-up'something to relate to, such as "Angry Birds written in some language". For them computer conversation past 'Microsoft' or 'Dell' or lost. Remember, most didn't grow up with computers.

    FYI; if you're using Colbert, Maher, or Stewart for your news YOU'RE a comedian and with the exception of Stewart neither you or them is even funny. You'll understand this better when dragged into the "Deathly Hollow" called 'maturity', kicking and screaming no doubt..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Jeff (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:20am

      Re: grow up

      wut? My dad is 68 and he knows more about computers than I do - and I've been an IT guy/programmer for 25 years... you're an idiot.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      silverscarcat (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:26am

      Re: grow up

      "FYI; if you're using Colbert, Maher, or Stewart for your news YOU'RE a comedian and with the exception of Stewart neither you or them is even funny. You'll understand this better when dragged into the "Deathly Hollow" called 'maturity', kicking and screaming no doubt.."

      I really can't someone like you seriously. The kind of 'maturity' that you're emphasizing is nothing more than a hallowed out, empty shell of an existence that leads one to drinking nothing but beer and eating greasy foods, getting fatter and fatter, forcing the obesity problem to get worse and more and more stupid laws to get passed simply because your life isn't worth living.

      Well, here's a little news flash for you, sad sack...

      Maturity is what you make of it. Whenever a parent says "act your age" to their child, they really mean "act twice as old as you really are".

      A truly mature person is someone who takes responsibility for their actions.

      That's all it really is. That and being able to read a situation and act accordingly, but that's rather minor compared to being able to take responsibility for your actions.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The eejit (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 10:45am

      Re: grow up

      Uhh, they're all satire, especially Colbert. When the gloves come off him, he's a vicious bastard.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Colin, 5 Jun 2012 @ 12:46pm

      Re: grow up

      You're OVER-reacting. The connection to Angry Birds was only made to give the average 'grown-up'something to relate to, such as "Angry Birds written in some language".

      Why not give something RELEVANT to relate to? They might as well just say "Flame was created by a person, and so was Angry Birds!" What they've done is less informative and more irresponsible journalism than if they'd given no comparison at all.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 6:56am

    What do you expect from a propaganda network that HAS to focus on some new daily outrage for their viewers to get angry about?

    It's stories like this that cause some people (including Fox News viewers) to score WORSE then those who don't watch any news when asked about current events.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    NullOp, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:01am

    Pity

    Ya gotta take pity on Fox. They really just have no clue whatsoever about why this "story" is absolutely stupid. And remember, most of what's called "News" these days is made up, misreported, "managed" or otherwise cooked to seem important.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jumbo Shrimp, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:13am

    Fox News

    Fox News

    Military Intelligence

    pianoforte

    Living Dead

    Honest Government

    Open Secret

    ---

    You get the picture.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    grasshopper, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:22am

    ohh hog wash

    You guys take life way too seriously. Lol.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    John, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:24am

    Next up

    White House senior aide David Axelrod linked to Hitler. They both have mustaches.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DCX2, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:30am

    ONLY THE L IS CAPITALIZED

    Lua is a proper noun, it means "Moon" in Portuguese. Please spell it correctly, both Fox and TechDirt aren't spelling it right. Fox News I can understand...but this is a tech web site and I expect better.

    http://www.lua.org/about.html

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DS, 5 Jun 2012 @ 7:44am

    No different than anti-virus software banning everything that is based on Autohotkey, AutoIT, or compressed with UPX.

    So FoxNes = Just About Every Anti-Virus Software Out There.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Yakko Warner (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:01am

    It's absurd

    A lot of viruses are written in C, the same language as the Windows operating system! This does not mean that Windows is a virus!

    Wait, bad example...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:17am

    The most sophisticated and powerful cyberweapon uncovered to date was written in the LUA computer language, cyber security experts tell Fox News -- the same one used to make the incredibly popular Angry Birds game.

    LUA is favored by game programmers because it’s easy to use and easy to embed. Flame is described as enormously powerful and large, containing some 250,000 lines of code, making it far larger than other such cyberweapons. Yet it was built with gamer code, said Cedric Leighton, a retired Air Force Intelligence officer who now consults in the national security arena.

    “The people who developed the malware … found an ingenious way to use a code not part and parcel of a hacker’s normal arsenal, and that made it harder to detect,” he told Fox News.


    "Easy to use and easy to embed", this looks like straight up journalistic writing, with a point of reference that the novice would understand.

    So why the Anti Fox News baiting Mike?

    Oh that's right Rupert Murdock is the master of the evil empire.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      G Thompson (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:36am

      Re:

      Oh that's right Rupert Murdock is the master of the evil empire.

      Being an Australian I actually agree with this statement, in reference to his business practices, lack of ethics and narcissistic personality. Interestingly so do nearly all other Australians who actually have worked for, known, or encountered Rupert and his family when he was an Aussie citizen..

      Fox News is just a small part of an extremely vast egotistic empire that happily is finally beginning to crumble and self implode.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 10:00am

      Re:

      If you really think this looks like straight-up journalism, then I don't even know what to say. This is straight-up propaganda (of the "be afraid!" variety, and is almost entirely composed of factoids that are stitched together to make an unrelated and greatly exaggerated point.

      Mentioning Angry Birds is completely baffling to me. Pointing out the two things were written in the same language is relevant to exactly nothing, and clarifies nothing. For people who don't know anything about programming, it's even worse in that it encourages people to think the there is some kind of meaningful link between the two.

      LUA is favored by game programmers because it’s easy to use and easy to embed.


      So? Lua is one of a number of languages that are preferred by game programmers because it's easy to use and embed.

      Flame is described as enormously powerful and large, containing some 250,000 lines of code, making it far larger than other such cyberweapons.


      I have no idea why the article spends any time on how large Flame is, and even measure it according to number of lines of code, which is a meaningless measurement when taken alone. Why is "far larger" relevant? In fact, being far large implies that it might not be terribly sophisticated, as keeping the code small helps to keep it stealthy.

      Yet it was built with gamer code, said Cedric Leighton, a retired Air Force Intelligence officer who now consults in the national security arena.


      "Gamer code"?? Really?? What does that even mean? It's meaningless bullshit. Ah, but here we see a clue to the real purpose of the article: this quote comes from a "national security consultant" which means that the more frightened people are, the more money he makes. This article is an advertisement, not news.

      “The people who developed the malware … found an ingenious way to use a code not part and parcel of a hacker’s normal arsenal, and that made it harder to detect,”


      This is more meaningless bullshit, and that it was written in Lua does not impact its difficulty to detect.

      This is not journalism at all, even in the most generous meaning of the term. This is a press release from a for-profit security firm that markets to the government and major corporations.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:18am

    Just some more of Mikes anti Fox News bashing, nothing to see here move along.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    TheBuzzSaw (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:31am

    LOLOLUA

    Annnnnd the metal in my truck fender is the same metal in terrorist weaponry...?

    I'm a game developer who uses Lua in my game engine. Guess I'll have to remove it in order to be able to market to Fox News viewers.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Mesonoxian Eve (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:45am

    Two words that should never go together: Fox and News.

    Much like acids and bases, the combination of the two means brain cells explode.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      TheBuzzSaw (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:48am

      Re:

      Hate to be pedantic, but actually, mixing an acid and base is probably the most peaceful thing you can do. XD

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Rob, 5 Jun 2012 @ 9:23am

        Re: Re:

        *Controlled* mixing of acid and base is. Just throw 'em together and there's loads of not good spattering.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Cdaragorn (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 9:47am

          Re: Re: Re:

          If you had a ton of each (I mean dozens of gallons, at least), you could get a nice geyser of very hot water...but beyond that, not much else is going to happen. They will neutralize eachother too quickly to get much, if any, acid spraying anywhere.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Mesonoxian Eve (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 10:17am

        Re: Re:

        LOL. I guess I shouldn't have used the word "explode".

        When writing this, I was remembering the "Kitchen Chemistry 101" lesson given to us students decades ago about mixing chlorine with ammonia.

        I guess brain cells don't explode in that context, but they sure do end up dead.

        Thanks for the reminder. Perhaps this is why I didn't pass Chem the first time around (or the second, and barely the third).

        Ugh. I'm reminding myself why I hate Chemistry.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Cdaragorn (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 8:52am

      Re:

      Considering that many common acids are Hydrogen based, the end result of acid-base combinations is actually mostly water. Then again, considering how horrible H2O is for you, maybe you have a point I'm not seeing?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        John Fenderson (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 10:02am

        Re: Re:

        When are we going to start throwing people in prison for making dihydrogen monoxide? It's a horrific terrorist weapon.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rob, 5 Jun 2012 @ 9:00am

    This just in!

    The Fox website is written in HTML, the same computer language that the Al Qaeda websites are written in!!

    Coincidence? I think not.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Davey, 5 Jun 2012 @ 12:24pm

    This is surprising?

    Fox is a propaganda outlet for sale to any plutocrat with enough bucks and clout to afford them. It will be interesting to see what the payoff is this time.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 1:15pm

    Wonder how many viewers on fox associate angry birds with android?

    Wonder how many of them might be aware of google ownership?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    RobShaver (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 1:25pm

    Fox News Tied to Child Porn ... Both Use Video

    Film at 11.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    hmm (profile), 5 Jun 2012 @ 3:27pm

    OMG

    ALL genocides/murders/bad stuff tied to the alphabet!

    Sources say apparently most documents related to criminal activity produced during the past thousand or so years have relied on the letters a through z.

    Sources say this link proves that the entire alphabet along with written and spoken language must be banned to stop piracy/terrorists/for the children......

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2012 @ 4:06pm

    Fox News is my source of entertainment! Their stupidity is just priceless comedy gold!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Digitari, 5 Jun 2012 @ 5:07pm

    Re:

    I have it on good information that some Terrorists are right handed, the same hand the Fox uses for mental masturbation, and yet some in the mid east use there left hand to wipe their bottoms. Some folks at Fox are left handed as well, just not as many that use the left hand to wipe with in the mid east.....

    ergo:

    Right handed fox pundits = mental mastubator's

    left handed fox pundits = bottom wipers

    :) :) :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Jun 2012 @ 5:19pm

    Catherine Herridge is just trying to make a living

    By being naive and hoping her editors and readers are the same her wish was granted and her ill-informed article was published. She will continue to make false linkages that would give her a failing grade in any essay/paper that was properly graded in any proper university or college.

    Give her a break, she is just too uneducated to understand that all Windows/PC viruses, trojans, and other malware is all executed on the Intel x86 instruction set. Obviously, Intel is the sponsor and enabler of all the world's ill.

    If she was really up to her task of a true muckraker, she would be camping out at Santa Clara, demanding to speak to Paul Otellini to get to the bottom of this fiendish scheme.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Angry birds, 27 Jun 2012 @ 8:49am

    what is this??? angry birds are amazing! can't live without them any more)))))

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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