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Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

notepad-plus-plus.org

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Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#151

Post by nophunphil »

p_ing wrote: post #143
nophunphil wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can't help but feel there must some better venue for such messaging. I would argue that this has been an effective avenue for messaging/protest. You’re responding to it on this very board - that means you’re thinking about it. Another angle: would such free protest be allowed if the developers of Notepad++ were based in China or Russia? I seriously doubt it.

> I would argue that this has been an effective avenue for messaging/protest. You’re responding to it on this very board - that means you’re thinking about it. I think about a lot of things I do absolutely nothing about (or with). Thinking about whatever messaging is here is like saying "thoughts and prayers". It means shit all nothing. The messaging was a waste of my time and your time. It was an ad for a product yo…

I don’t see it as a waste of my time. I am not in the habit of seeing conflicts in which innocent people die as a “waste of my time”. The idea that my time is somehow more valuable than another person’s is narcissistic.

Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#152

Post by generalizations »

Barrin92 wrote: post #100
prodigycorp wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I made it clear that I use (and pay for) their applications. I also think I made a sufficiently nuanced comment that doesn't suggest that I've "given in" to anything.

what I took a bit of offense with is the term "software maccarythism". That's a movement now remembered for an over-reaction to often imaginary enemies. Ukraine is right now fighting for its life in a hot war on our continent here in Europe. Taiwan is at the very real risk of being invaded. American and European infrastructure is subject to cyber attacks that that are effectively hostile military acts already. I don'…

> a movement now remembered for an over-reaction to often imaginary enemies

I'm sure it felt very real at the time.

Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#154

Post by nickorlow »

drum55 wrote: post #56
guessmyname wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t get it, why don’t you all—absolutely all of you reading—use Little Snitch? [1] It really doesn’t compute in my head why would any macOS user not use a network firewall like this, or similar, to block unwanted outgoing HTTP(s) requests. You can easily inspect the packet with tools like Wireshark or Burp Suite Professional (or Community) edition, or any other proxy tool, of which there are many in the macOS eco…

It’s a false sense of security, more or less. If an application wants to talk to a C2 they don’t have to make a connection at all, just proxy a connection through something already allowed, or tunnel through DNS. Those juicy cryptocurrency keys? Pop Safari with them in the URL and they’re sent to the malicious actor instantly. If you’re owned Little Snitch does nothing at all for you except give you the impression th…

Especially in this case where the attackers could've proxied you to their malicious servers through npp's good/trusted servers

Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#155

Post by defrost »

popalchemist wrote: post #138
getnormality wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah, it doesn't mean they support the status quo. It just means some political tactics are pointless, incompetent, and counterproductive. Political opinions about how things should be don't automatically dictate the actions that should be taken in support of those opinions. I can be mad about a law or a court decision and still have the good sense to, for example, not throw red paint on a lawmaker or judge. Some beha…

It intrinsically does. Whatever stance changes nothing or prefers to change nothing is a vote for the status quo, by definition.

> Whatever stance changes nothing .. is a vote for the status quo, by definition.

As problematic as the assertion "by definition" is aside, it should be noted that endlessly commenting about politics on internet forums effectively changes nothing.

I've been kettled by mounted officers and hit by high pressure hoses on cold evenings, something that also rarely effects change .. but that's a least a fun night out with people and better than wasting bits on the intertubes.

Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#156

Post by opan »

bakugo wrote: post #61
jimbob45 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gedit is an underrated alternative imo.

I don't know why that comment is being interpreted as a request for alternatives. They are clearly asking if their machine is compromised.

I agree this is probably not the place to list alternatives, but listing them elsewhere (top level comment?) in this thread would probably be good.

Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#158

Post by joejoe638 »

NuclearPM wrote: post #142
ryandrake wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar comments also come up in the [now regular] "I don't want to see political articles on HN" threads, and I think the response is similar: Asking for "no politics" is itself a strong political view: One in support/service of whatever the current status quo is. Trying to set oneself apart from (or above) politics is itself political. If you're lucky enough to be one of the fortunate people on earth who are not un…

There’s a difference between arguing over the tax rate and ignoring fascism. At a certain point there is nothing more important than “politics”.

The issue with making something so universal as software, specifically scientific software political is that it operates in such a broad context that every political statement sooner or later will seem comical outside a very narrow scope.

Your comment is a good example of it; who is dictator? The people who hacked the software or the political pole they support? At what point did they become fascist enough to warrant politicalisation of everything ?

Re: Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors

#159

Post by airstrike »

MengerSponge wrote: post #150
tjpnz wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't brush off Taiwan or Ukraine as "political". In both cases it's about survival, and in one it's a literal fight.

Bro, it's political. Political isn't synonymous with "bad" or with "propaganda". Wars are waged on many fronts, and securing economic and hardware support takes messaging.

In fact, Carl von Clausewitz is known for saying "War is politics by other means" (among many other great quotes)
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