hackers? on IRC? *trading* things? A1, above the fold, in big 'ol KENNEDY SHOT font!

but really now. i'm no big expert on credit card fraud, but i suspect that the bots tell you the spending limit by looking at the numbers that make up the card. this *can* be done, with some, to an extent, to determine if it's silver, gold, radium, whatever. it's not foolproof, but it looks good on a bot, and impresses the easily impressed.

as for the rest of it .. if nobody gets a junior g-man badge for tipping the FBI off as to the existence of internet relay chat, i'll be more than happy to pick up the Bureau's slack and lavish them with due recognition.

the most constructive thing i can tell you as a loyal securityfocus reader [non-sarcastic! {no, really}] is that this isn't news. it's everyday net life seen through the pristine eyes of clean-room researchers shocked at what goes on in their otherwise squeaky-clean internet.

this article was good journalistic form focused around bad journalistic content. your strata of the world doesn't need more tech news repeaters. it needs people who get out of the newsroom and act like security was any other beat, where being a repeater doesn't distinguish anyone.

anyways. rambling. love your writing. shame about the story. hope securityfocus is classy enough to post this.

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