[ga] Now Google's CAPTCHA Is Broken and Spammers Targeting Microsoft's Revised CAPTCHA

["Jeffrey A. Williams" <jwkckid1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

All,

  Seems some of googls snooping is for the moment suspended.

See:
Yesterday it was reported that Microsoft's revised CAPTCHA
had been cracked. Now it's Google's turn. In a move that is
sure to surprise no one, the spammers behind Xrumer' have announced
that they've not only
http://agha.st/2008/10/xrumer-50a---google-captcha-cracked.php
cracked Google's CAPTCHA, but other forms of image verification
as well, including 'pick the cat' style CAPTCHA."

Seems MS may be next.

Also see:
"According to Websense,
http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Blogs/3063.aspx Microsoft's
CAPTCHA has been busted again. CAPTCHA was surely a logical
move for different service providers to fight against spammers, but it
seems to be melting down. 'Realizing the potential for massive abuse
from spammers with anti-CAPTCHA capabilities, who could use the
clean IP reputation to carry out various attacks over Email and Web
space, Microsoft attempted to increase the complexity of their CAPTCHA
system. The CAPTCHA system was revised in an attempt to both
prevent automatic registrations from computer programs or automated
bots, and preserve CAPTCHA's usability and reliability. As this attack
shows, those efforts have failed,' says Websense security researcher
Prasad. Could there be any better CAPTCHA? A better solution?"

My note:  The answer here is yes.  CAPTCHA is and has always
been a fools errand.  It is inharently inaccurate, and subject to many
different spam attacks, as has been noted above.  Further CAPTCHA
is disliked for these reasons and because it is frequently being
misused, and overly trusted.  I have never been a fan of CAPTCHA.  
Seems that my position is now being more broadly considered.  Oh well...

Regards,

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