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Hipcrime (Usenet)
Encyclopedia
HipCrime refers both to the screenname of a Usenet
user and software application distributed by, and presumably written by, this individual. The name derives from a neologism in the John Brunner
science fiction
novel Stand on Zanzibar
.
HipCrime's Newsagent software is a free and open source
Usenet control client. The program is written in Java
and allows the user to auto-cancel any messages on Usenet based on author, subject, organization, message-ID, or path. It also allows the user to replace the body of any message with text of their choosing. The software also monitors any posts you choose and reposts them if they are removed. Additionally, it allows regular users to act as Usenet Administrators and create (or remove) entire newsgroups.
CA Inc.
has classified this as denial of service software, as well as flooder software, a specific type of denial of service attack.
Andrew Leonard, in his book Bots: The Origin of New Species, also credits HipCrime with creating the earliest web-distributed spambot. This bot, known as HipCrime's ActiveAgent, was a Java
applet
which allowed anybody with a web browser to send mass volumes of unsolicited e-mail
messages. The ActiveAgent has since been expanded into an open source
application (known as MarketCom's MktAgent) and is relied upon heavily by the largest e-mail spam
stock pump and dump
gangs.
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
user and software application distributed by, and presumably written by, this individual. The name derives from a neologism in the John Brunner
John Brunner (novelist)
John Kilian Houston Brunner was a prolific British author of science fiction novels and stories. His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar, about an overpopulated world, won the 1968 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. It also won the BSFA award the same year...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel Stand on Zanzibar
Stand on Zanzibar
Stand on Zanzibar is a dystopian New Wave science fiction novel written by John Brunner and first published in 1968. The book won a Hugo Award for Best Novel at the 27th World Science Fiction Convention in 1969, as well as the 1969 BSFA Award and the 1973 Prix Tour-Apollo Award.-Description:A...
.
HipCrime's Newsagent
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
Usenet control client. The program is written in Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
and allows the user to auto-cancel any messages on Usenet based on author, subject, organization, message-ID, or path. It also allows the user to replace the body of any message with text of their choosing. The software also monitors any posts you choose and reposts them if they are removed. Additionally, it allows regular users to act as Usenet Administrators and create (or remove) entire newsgroups.
CA Inc.
CA Inc.
CA Technologies , formerly CA, Inc. and Computer Associates, Inc., is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest independent software corporations in the world...
has classified this as denial of service software, as well as flooder software, a specific type of denial of service attack.
HipCrime's ActiveAgent
HipCrime is referred to as "a leading Usenet Terrorist" by James Farmer, maintainer of Spamfaq: Part 3: Understanding NANAE.Andrew Leonard, in his book Bots: The Origin of New Species, also credits HipCrime with creating the earliest web-distributed spambot. This bot, known as HipCrime's ActiveAgent, was a Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
applet
Applet
In computing, an applet is any small application that performs one specific task that runs within the scope of a larger program, often as a plug-in. An applet typically also refers to Java applets, i.e., programs written in the Java programming language that are included in a web page...
which allowed anybody with a web browser to send mass volumes of unsolicited e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
messages. The ActiveAgent has since been expanded into an open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
application (known as MarketCom's MktAgent) and is relied upon heavily by the largest e-mail spam
E-mail spam
Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
stock pump and dump
Pump and dump
"Pump and dump" is a form of microcap stock fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price....
gangs.