RE: [ISN] Student arrested for allegedly hacking university computers to derail election

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Mon Jun 30 2003 - 00:44:26 PDT

  • Next message: InfoSec News: "[ISN] Exchange ready to test secure code development in real world"

    Forwarded from: Jon Miller <cio.nyat_private>
    
    I suppose we have a different view of what should be tolerated and
    what should not amuse...
    
    Maybe if you watched the planes crash into the WTC, and their
    subsequent burn and collapse, live - not on TV;  burying thousands,
    including many of your friends, you might feel differently.  Maybe I'm
    a bit too sensitive about this (& my comments are of course my own and
    not necessarily representative of my Agency.)
    
    But specific to the "crime" I don't feel that his education and career
    should be damaged as a result of what you call a prank, & said so in
    my earlier post. Tolerating the impersonating of police officers (as
    opposed to dressing in costume) is a bit different than running naked
    through the streets, and should be treated as such.
    
    _________________________________
    Jon Miller, CISSP, GSEC
    Chief Security Officer
    The City of New York, HRA
    Management Information Systems
    
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: owner-isnat_private [mailto:owner-isnat_private] On Behalf
    Of InfoSec News
    Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 2:37 AM
    To: isnat_private
    Subject: Re: [ISN] Student arrested for allegedly hacking university
    computers to derail election
    
    Forwarded from: Russell Coker <russellat_private>
    
    On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 18:50, Jon Miller wrote:
    > That this student chose to use his skills to exploit a university
    > computer system (not well known for security in general) is
    > troubling. It wasn't by accident that he did this, and unless he's
    > been living on another planet for the past couple of years, he knows
    > that we don't and shouldn't have a sense of humor about such things.
    
    Normally we don't have a sense of humor about public nudity, drunken
    disorderly behaviour, vandalism, unlicensed radio transmission,
    offensive language used in radio and public performances, and all the
    other things that are well tolerated at university functions.
    
    Even offenses such as impersonating police officers and theft
    (although temporary) of police property are treated lightly when
    performed by university students as part of a "prank".
    
    Why should rigging an election be treated more seriously than the huge
    number of other minor crimes committed by university students which
    are often ignored by the police?  It seems to me that a common police
    practice when dealing with student pranks is to compell the students
    to repair or pay for any damage that they cause and then let them off
    with a warning.
    
    Why not just get the student to clean the floors of the computer labs
    for half a year?  It will be enough punishment to deter them from
    doing it again (often magistrates give less punishment), it will
    provide some benefit to the university, and everyone will save the
    time and effort that goes into prosecuting the case.
    
    
    
    -
    ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org
    
    To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn'
    in the BODY of the mail.
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Jun 30 2003 - 03:10:02 PDT