FromTheRafters wrote:
> "~BD~"<~BD~@nomail.afraid.com> wrote in message
> news:h4qdnUKcPrr7BLPTnZ2dnUVZ8qKdnZ2d@bt.com...
>
>> Who gives the MVP's the right to act as judge, jury and executioner?
>
> It's just a hosts file, people can choose as they wish.

They can indeed, but ......


Because of its role in local name resolution, the hosts file represents
an attack vector for malicious software. The file may be hijacked, for
example, by adware, computer viruses, trojan horse software, and may be
modified to redirect traffic from the intended destination to sites
hosting content that may be offensive or intrusive to the user or the
users computer system. The widespread computer worm Mydoom.B blocked
users from visiting sites about computer security and anti-virus
software and also affected users' ability to access the Microsoft
Windows Update website.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_(file)


> It's funny though that someone who claims to be an MVP
> has his own sites blocked by the MVP's hosts file.


The evidence suggests that TRT is *not* a *Microsoft* MVP


Btw, *this* site http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm *has nothing to
do with Microsoft* - it says so at the bottom of the page! Viz:

"Microsoft and or MVPS.org are in no way affiliated with, nor offers
endorsement of, this site."

Strangely, there is no mention of a Hosts file either here
http://mvps.org/ or here http://mvps.org/links.html

AFAIK, there's no way to determine whether or not good guys or *bad*
guys are in charge of producing the download at this URL
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm I suppose it is *impossible* for
one to be downloading more than one bargained for, eh? Out of interest,
exactly who checks?

The 'Contact address' provided is "winhelp2002@gmail.com" which could,
of course, be anyone ...... *anywhere*! <nods>

**

"Malwarebytes recently completed the acquisition of hpHosts, a popular
and trusted blacklist of malicious websites, ad servers and tracking
servers." See http://www.hosts-file.net/

Does anyone know why Malwarebytes didn't opt to utilise the MVPs Hosts
file instead?

Food for thought? (or just ridicule?)

Surely some other folk consider such possibilities, don't they? Or does
the herd instinct prevail? <wonders>

Dave