Comments on: Student trying to alert school to computer vulnerability instead charged with three felonies http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/ Gadgets, gear and computer hardware. Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:29:30 -0500 hourly 1 By: fwerrit http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-949406 fwerrit Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:22:29 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-949406 "hope to god you call the cops." yaeh. good one. “hope to god you call the cops.”

yaeh. good one.

]]> By: Raj http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-944111 Raj Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:55:38 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-944111 Lol, no one saw the last Die Hard? This was the plot... Lol, no one saw the last Die Hard? This was the plot…

]]> By: uniqueGifts http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943513 uniqueGifts Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:50:01 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943513 He should have alerted someone before he acted upon it. Like saying this could potentially happen so to speak. That way he would be in the clear as far as criminal charges. However I don't think the punishment is justified. A little too harsh if you ask me. He should have alerted someone before he acted upon it. Like saying this could potentially happen so to speak. That way he would be in the clear as far as criminal charges. However I don’t think the punishment is justified. A little too harsh if you ask me.

]]> By: exapted http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943447 exapted Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:27:44 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943447 All of your arguments are pretty sound. I know something needs to be done. Some kinds of legal precedents need to be set. So you certainly have your points. The issue I have is with making bytes or computer networks equivalent to physical objects/money or physical locations. I am just not convinced they are the same. I'm not making a straw man here, since I know you didn't say that those things are equivalent. But I think the legal precedent being set here makes them legally equivalent, and I just haven't been able to wrap my brain around that. All of your arguments are pretty sound. I know something needs to be done. Some kinds of legal precedents need to be set. So you certainly have your points. The issue I have is with making bytes or computer networks equivalent to physical objects/money or physical locations. I am just not convinced they are the same. I’m not making a straw man here, since I know you didn’t say that those things are equivalent. But I think the legal precedent being set here makes them legally equivalent, and I just haven’t been able to wrap my brain around that.

]]> By: LC http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943427 LC Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:25:47 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943427 Just to clarify, what the kid did was wrong and he deserves school disciplinary action, the felony charges are a bit much as another article said that even the police believed that he did not intend harm with the information he gathered. My main issue was in articles making the kid appear that he was doing a public service by committing a crime. BTW, he has also been in trouble in the past for computer mischief. http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200844/2329/Student-charged-with-three-felonies-after-alerting-school-of-poor-security-policies Just to clarify, what the kid did was wrong and he deserves school disciplinary action, the felony charges are a bit much as another article said that even the police believed that he did not intend harm with the information he gathered. My main issue was in articles making the kid appear that he was doing a public service by committing a crime. BTW, he has also been in trouble in the past for computer mischief.

http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200844/2329/Student-charged-with-three-felonies-after-alerting-school-of-poor-security-policies

]]> By: LC http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943424 LC Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:01:28 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943424 "Correction: They *essentially* left the store’s door wide open." *essentially* being the operative word. If you went out to the store and only locked your screen door, but left the main door open, found someone sitting on your couch when you arrived back home and said to you: "Hi I'm Bill Jones and I just happened to notice that your home was locked poorly and just wanted to warn you to be more careful. You got lucky that I wasn't dangerous" Would you thank him for his warning or would you call the cops? I hope to God that you would choose the latter. Just because the school had lousy security, does not make it acceptable to exploit that lousy security to make a point. The kid could just have easily alerted an administrator to the weakness and asked permission to prove his point. “Correction: They *essentially* left the store’s door wide open.”

*essentially* being the operative word. If you went out to the store and only locked your screen door, but left the main door open, found someone sitting on your couch when you arrived back home and said to you:

“Hi I’m Bill Jones and I just happened to notice that your home was locked poorly and just wanted to warn you to be more careful. You got lucky that I wasn’t dangerous”

Would you thank him for his warning or would you call the cops? I hope to God that you would choose the latter.

Just because the school had lousy security, does not make it acceptable to exploit that lousy security to make a point. The kid could just have easily alerted an administrator to the weakness and asked permission to prove his point.

]]> By: LC http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943421 LC Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:56:34 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943421 "This kid just had to type some buttons on his keyboard" Which is analogous to picking a cheap lock. He used someone's name and password to enter a system he knew he had no business entering. They did not leave the stores door wide open. They just used a crappy lock. If a store owner uses a crappy lock, it does not make it acceptable for someone to pick it and enter. "I suppose you think receiving a video of a copyrighted movie is like walking into a store, grabbing a DVD and leaving without paying" Please stick to the topic and refrain from strawman arguments. “This kid just had to type some buttons on his keyboard”

Which is analogous to picking a cheap lock. He used someone’s name and password to enter a system he knew he had no business entering. They did not leave the stores door wide open. They just used a crappy lock. If a store owner uses a crappy lock, it does not make it acceptable for someone to pick it and enter.

“I suppose you think receiving a video of a copyrighted movie is like walking into a store, grabbing a DVD and leaving without paying”

Please stick to the topic and refrain from strawman arguments.

]]> By: exapted http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943339 exapted Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:33:02 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943339 Correction: They *essentially* left the store's door wide open. Correction: They *essentially* left the store’s door wide open.

]]> By: exapted http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943338 exapted Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:32:06 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943338 This kid just had to type some buttons on his keyboard. They eventually left the store's door wide open. I suppose you think receiving a video of a copyrighted movie is like walking into a store, grabbing a DVD and leaving without paying (although the unit cost is NIL). This kid just had to type some buttons on his keyboard. They eventually left the store’s door wide open. I suppose you think receiving a video of a copyrighted movie is like walking into a store, grabbing a DVD and leaving without paying (although the unit cost is NIL).

]]> By: LC http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943191 LC Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:48:59 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943191 Just to put things into perspective, what if, instead of network security, a kid was trying to show a business owner his store locks and alarms were shoddy, by picking the lock, entering the store and opening the cash register? If he alerted the owner of the store to what he did, would those defending him in this school story be as understanding in this example? Just to put things into perspective, what if, instead of network security, a kid was trying to show a business owner his store locks and alarms were shoddy, by picking the lock, entering the store and opening the cash register?

If he alerted the owner of the store to what he did, would those defending him in this school story be as understanding in this example?

]]> By: AlexNC http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943183 AlexNC Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:24:06 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943183 sOUNDS LIKE HE WAS USING A RANSOM TO COLLECT MONEY? oops caps =( sOUNDS LIKE HE WAS USING A RANSOM TO COLLECT MONEY?
oops caps =(

]]> By: Dan http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/28/student-trying-to-alert-school-to-computer-vulnerability-instead-charged-with-three-felonies/comment-page-1/#comment-943180 Dan Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:19:38 +0000 http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=50853#comment-943180 Based on the details it sounds like we're missing the entire story...I'd like to see the email he sent to the principal. Based on the details it sounds like we’re missing the entire story…I’d like to see the email he sent to the principal.

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