5 ms·

Looks nice- Everyone just remember that if you don't understand the source code or download it in a way that allows a "man in the middle" attack, there's nothin

by drcode 13y ago

Looks nice- Everyone just remember that if you don't understand the source code or download it in a way that allows a "man in the middle" attack, there's nothing to stop this kind of program (or an MITM-altered version of it) from emptying out every bitcoin wallet you have installed on your computer. (I for one will install this program though, on my non-wallet pc)

topbanana 13y ago
The same goes for any software
- drcode 13y ago
  Agreed, the risk is just particularly high for little gizmos targeted especially at bitcoiners.
  - dllthomas 13y ago
    The risk seems higher, but I'm not convinced that's anything but cognitive salience.
tmp3098512 13y ago
I built a Docker image so you can run the script safely in a sandbox without even installing Node.js: $ docker pull mlgx/turingou-btc $ docker run -i -t mlgx/turingou-btc
- eyko 13y ago
  You can also run it as an unprivileged user (in osx, I think the user `nobody` might be a good choice).
jakejake 13y ago
There's nothing really unique about this compared to any other app that you allow to run on your computer. It's a great reason to only install from trusted sources and be very wary of cracked software, keygens, etc.
- dllthomas 13y ago
  Well, a higher percentage of users of this are likely to be interested in bitcoin. Since what matters is "total number of bitcoin wallets you access" and misses don't really cost you much, I don't know that it matters, though.
  - kylebrown 13y ago
    Misses definitely cost something. PPI (pay per install) affiliate programs have a floor price (iirc about $0.10 - $0.50 per install last i checked). Its higher than e-mail spam, but even that has a price. Targeted traffic costs more, but has higher conversion ratios. I don't think bitcoin wallets are so generic that you'd get a measurable number of wallets on generic traffic. You'd have to get many thousands of installs to even get one.
    - dllthomas 13y ago
      Is there a pay-per-install affiliate program involved here?
      - kylebrown 13y ago
        Your claim that "misses don't cost much" wasn't about the OP, it was about a hypothetical thought experiment. At the very least, misses cost the labor/opportunity of building, marketing, and distributing a generic executable (eg malware inside a windows screen saver). PPI payout rate provides a market estimate of the cost for that service.
        dllthomas 13y ago
        Ah, your argument was "a miss here is a missed opportunity to do something else, so they should be pricing in the opportunity cost." Valid, I think, but I've got to give the ramifications more thought for any sort of substantive response.
  - jakejake 13y ago

by drcode 13y ago

topbanana 13y ago

The same goes for any software

drcode 13y ago
Agreed, the risk is just particularly high for little gizmos targeted especially at bitcoiners.
- dllthomas 13y ago
  The risk seems higher, but I'm not convinced that's anything but cognitive salience.

tmp3098512 13y ago

I built a Docker image so you can run the script safely in a sandbox without even installing Node.js: $ docker pull mlgx/turingou-btc $ docker run -i -t mlgx/turingou-btc

eyko 13y ago
You can also run it as an unprivileged user (in osx, I think the user `nobody` might be a good choice).

jakejake 13y ago

There's nothing really unique about this compared to any other app that you allow to run on your computer. It's a great reason to only install from trusted sources and be very wary of cracked software, keygens, etc.

dllthomas 13y ago
Well, a higher percentage of users of this are likely to be interested in bitcoin. Since what matters is "total number of bitcoin wallets you access" and misses don't really cost you much, I don't know that it matters, though.
- kylebrown 13y ago
  Misses definitely cost something. PPI (pay per install) affiliate programs have a floor price (iirc about $0.10 - $0.50 per install last i checked). Its higher than e-mail spam, but even that has a price. Targeted traffic costs more, but has higher conversion ratios. I don't think bitcoin wallets are so generic that you'd get a measurable number of wallets on generic traffic. You'd have to get many thousands of installs to even get one.
  - dllthomas 13y ago
    Is there a pay-per-install affiliate program involved here?
    - kylebrown 13y ago
      Your claim that "misses don't cost much" wasn't about the OP, it was about a hypothetical thought experiment. At the very least, misses cost the labor/opportunity of building, marketing, and distributing a generic executable (eg malware inside a windows screen saver). PPI payout rate provides a market estimate of the cost for that service.
      - dllthomas 13y ago
        Ah, your argument was "a miss here is a missed opportunity to do something else, so they should be pricing in the opportunity cost." Valid, I think, but I've got to give the ramifications more thought for any sort of substantive response.
- jakejake 13y ago