4 ms·

Corrupted Word Files for Sale

62 points by aminuit 17y ago

soundsop 17y ago
In unix, "strings corrupted_word_file.doc" should still provide almost all the text.
- DenisM 17y ago
  Office 2007 doc is a compressed XML file. strings wouldn't help much against that.
  - pmorici 17y ago
    It's a zip format file, so it should still have correct headers to look plausible.
lpgauth 17y ago
I've never done that... Just rename an image to doc/docx and remove the top part of the file (in your favorite text editor) that could help identify it's an image. You're then ready to upload your file to Blackboard (which is terrible) so that your Profs will actually assume Blackboard is at fault. p.s. this works even with CS profs...
- rbanffy 17y ago
  dd if=/dev/random count=3000 of=~/assignment.doc
lionheart 17y ago
Can't you just take any random non-Word file that's about the right size, change the extension to .doc and you have a corrupted Word file?
- run4yourlives 17y ago
  Yes, but people don't know that.
- aminuit 17y ago
  I posted it because of the interesting, if unethical, business idea. The technical bits are probably unsophisticated.
  - run4yourlives 17y ago
    How is it unethical?
    - charlesju 17y ago
      Because you're lying to your teacher to get more time on your paper?
      - run4yourlives 17y ago
        The person running the business isn't doing that though, the client might be. The client may also have a very legitimate excuse for using the service that may fall into a grey area in terms of ethics. Suggesting this is unethical is like saying handguns are unethical because people commit murder with them.
        charlesju 17y ago
        That would be true except the exert explicitly says that this product is useful to avoid deadlines.
        lionheart 17y ago
        I can kind of see his point though. For example, maybe the customer had a medical emergency or a friend got into an accident and so they have a legitimate reason for wanting to stretch their deadline. Still, I think this site is in a very definite dark gray area and I wouldn't run something like this.
run4yourlives 17y ago
Unfortunately, a low barrier to entry: http://www.xnet.se/fd/ http://www.xnet.se/fd/ Pretty funny though.
buugs 17y ago
Cool I guess, would never work for me my professors have always had a failsafe backup where online and hardcopy were turned in the same day. ESPECIALLY when using blackboard.
Radix 17y ago
Ha ha :) I find it interesting the site operator knows where he stands. On the custom order page: Please Note: I had deadlines with professors too, but I still got my sh[i]t done on time - its called Red Bull. If you need an extension, just be honest and ask your professor before you use a corrupted file. http://www.corrupted-files.com/Custom_Order.html http://www.corrupted-files.com/Custom_Order.html [Did you know you cannot escape the asterisk?]
aminuit 17y ago
Purported interview with the anonymous developer: http://fourpointreport.com/blog/?p=978 http://fourpointreport.com/blog/?p=978
something 17y ago
i think one of the biggest differences between school and work is the deadline or due date and how it is perceived. most of the dates i have to hit now are the ones i give myself. when did your prof ask you "when do you think you'll be done with this class?"... if i miss an estimate, i tell someone and we deal with it. the more i do that, the less i'm wrong with the estimate in the first place. (given, that's not so relevant in school as you have more than enough time, always;) i/we were there- went to college, had sideways priorities and schedule pressure. this kind of sh*t is for people that don't want to do the work in the first place... bottom line- you think a good teacher doesn't know when they're getting snowed? you're wrong. ...and i say that as someone that, in school, didn't always want to do the work and still didn't lie to people when i missed deadlines and screwed myself. i rant, but... as long as you care, even a little bit- TALK TO YOUR TEACHERS! they'll cut you ten times the slack that a corrupted file gimmick will ever win you.
jrockway 17y ago
I did this regularly in high school. It usually worked, although I failed a class as a direct result of this technique... so not recommended in general.
varaon 17y ago
I could see a hash tool being useful here - maybe even some sort of upload applet that sends the hash too. If the uploaded hash matches the hash generated on your machine, you have less plausible excuses. Of course, you could just use Scribd's iPaper to preview the doc - puts the owness on the student to verify.
psyklic 17y ago
You do not even need to corrupt them. I wanted to open documents saved on a Windows 3.1 version of Word, and the modern Word software would not open them! This is not a good sign for the future ...
rbanffy 17y ago
As Niklaus Wirth would say, "P. T. Barnum was correct"
deutronium 17y ago
"We also upload new files periodically." - I'm curious why the don't use their file corrupting technology to generate different files for each user. "We didn’t just change a .jpeg extension into a .doc." - I guess they're mangling a doc file in someway to make it a little more believable, in case a prof. gets out a hexeditor.
TrevorJ 17y ago
As a person who deals with adult ADD, literally the biggest tool in my toolbox is an impending deadline with dire repercussions if I fail to meet it. The adrenalin clears my mind and allows me to concentrate. I'm glad I didn't know about this trick, otherwise I might not have ever been able to get my papers done!

62 points by aminuit 17y ago

soundsop 17y ago

In unix, "strings corrupted_word_file.doc" should still provide almost all the text.

DenisM 17y ago
Office 2007 doc is a compressed XML file. strings wouldn't help much against that.
- pmorici 17y ago
  It's a zip format file, so it should still have correct headers to look plausible.

lpgauth 17y ago

I've never done that... Just rename an image to doc/docx and remove the top part of the file (in your favorite text editor) that could help identify it's an image. You're then ready to upload your file to Blackboard (which is terrible) so that your Profs will actually assume Blackboard is at fault. p.s. this works even with CS profs...

rbanffy 17y ago
dd if=/dev/random count=3000 of=~/assignment.doc

lionheart 17y ago

Can't you just take any random non-Word file that's about the right size, change the extension to .doc and you have a corrupted Word file?

run4yourlives 17y ago
Yes, but people don't know that.
aminuit 17y ago
I posted it because of the interesting, if unethical, business idea. The technical bits are probably unsophisticated.
- run4yourlives 17y ago
  How is it unethical?
  - charlesju 17y ago
    Because you're lying to your teacher to get more time on your paper?
    - run4yourlives 17y ago
      The person running the business isn't doing that though, the client might be. The client may also have a very legitimate excuse for using the service that may fall into a grey area in terms of ethics. Suggesting this is unethical is like saying handguns are unethical because people commit murder with them.
      - charlesju 17y ago
        That would be true except the exert explicitly says that this product is useful to avoid deadlines.
        lionheart 17y ago
        I can kind of see his point though. For example, maybe the customer had a medical emergency or a friend got into an accident and so they have a legitimate reason for wanting to stretch their deadline. Still, I think this site is in a very definite dark gray area and I wouldn't run something like this.

run4yourlives 17y ago

Unfortunately, a low barrier to entry: http://www.xnet.se/fd/ http://www.xnet.se/fd/ Pretty funny though.

buugs 17y ago

Cool I guess, would never work for me my professors have always had a failsafe backup where online and hardcopy were turned in the same day. ESPECIALLY when using blackboard.

Radix 17y ago

Ha ha :) I find it interesting the site operator knows where he stands. On the custom order page: Please Note: I had deadlines with professors too, but I still got my sh[i]t done on time - its called Red Bull. If you need an extension, just be honest and ask your professor before you use a corrupted file. http://www.corrupted-files.com/Custom_Order.html http://www.corrupted-files.com/Custom_Order.html [Did you know you cannot escape the asterisk?]

aminuit 17y ago

Purported interview with the anonymous developer: http://fourpointreport.com/blog/?p=978 http://fourpointreport.com/blog/?p=978

something 17y ago

i think one of the biggest differences between school and work is the deadline or due date and how it is perceived. most of the dates i have to hit now are the ones i give myself. when did your prof ask you "when do you think you'll be done with this class?"... if i miss an estimate, i tell someone and we deal with it. the more i do that, the less i'm wrong with the estimate in the first place. (given, that's not so relevant in school as you have more than enough time, always;) i/we were there- went to college, had sideways priorities and schedule pressure. this kind of sh*t is for people that don't want to do the work in the first place... bottom line- you think a good teacher doesn't know when they're getting snowed? you're wrong. ...and i say that as someone that, in school, didn't always want to do the work and still didn't lie to people when i missed deadlines and screwed myself. i rant, but... as long as you care, even a little bit- TALK TO YOUR TEACHERS! they'll cut you ten times the slack that a corrupted file gimmick will ever win you.

jrockway 17y ago

I did this regularly in high school. It usually worked, although I failed a class as a direct result of this technique... so not recommended in general.

varaon 17y ago

I could see a hash tool being useful here - maybe even some sort of upload applet that sends the hash too. If the uploaded hash matches the hash generated on your machine, you have less plausible excuses. Of course, you could just use Scribd's iPaper to preview the doc - puts the owness on the student to verify.

psyklic 17y ago

You do not even need to corrupt them. I wanted to open documents saved on a Windows 3.1 version of Word, and the modern Word software would not open them! This is not a good sign for the future ...

rbanffy 17y ago

As Niklaus Wirth would say, "P. T. Barnum was correct"

deutronium 17y ago

"We also upload new files periodically." - I'm curious why the don't use their file corrupting technology to generate different files for each user. "We didn’t just change a .jpeg extension into a .doc." - I guess they're mangling a doc file in someway to make it a little more believable, in case a prof. gets out a hexeditor.

TrevorJ 17y ago

As a person who deals with adult ADD, literally the biggest tool in my toolbox is an impending deadline with dire repercussions if I fail to meet it. The adrenalin clears my mind and allows me to concentrate. I'm glad I didn't know about this trick, otherwise I might not have ever been able to get my papers done!