2600 and Phrack

I happened upon the newest release of 2600 today. I’ve been feeling lately as if the quality has been diminishing to some degree over the last year or so (I actually let my subscription lapse for precisely this reason), and was curious as to whether or not this was being addressed or not.

It seems it has not.

About halfway through the publication was an article on Adware — as in, Windows malware and how to get rid of it. I’m blown away by this. Don’t get me wrong, the write-up was decent; that’s not the issue. The problem is that this sort of piece, in my view anyway, belongs on Steve Gibson’s security site — not in 2600. It’s not low-class or lame to help newbies with their self-inflicted, Windows-based pain; it’s just that I didn’t know that’s what 2600 was about.

As many of you know, Phrack magazine closed up shop recently, and that was a sad day for many in the community. Arguably, though, it’s less sad than clinging to life via the continued publishing of weaker content. Phrack closed to preserve the legacy of what it was. Perhaps it’s time for 2600 to do the same.