Re: CRIME FW: [Cyber_threats] Daily News 09/23/02

crispin@private

Kuo, Jimmy wrote:

>Plus you're arguing your justice concepts on the laws of another country.
>
>The scope of your protest extends only to being able to choose not to be a
>citizen there.
>
Actually no, I'm not arguing a justice concept at all. I'm arguing a 
pragmatic principle that if this kind of activity is outlawed, it won't 
make it go away, it will just make it anonymous. It will drive a huge 
wedge between people who can help address vulnerability issues, and 
people who need that information, by making it criminal to reveal such 
information. It's kind of like making it illegal to be a witness to a crime.

However, private mail from someone indicates that T0rn may be guilty of 
actual computer crimes, and the fuss over the rootkit is just a red 
herring. The perrils of trial in the press. We shall see.

Crispin

>
>Jimmy
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Crispin Cowan [mailto:crispin@private]
>Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 2:05 PM
>To: George Heuston
>Cc: 'crime@private'; 'fw@private'
>Subject: Re: CRIME FW: [Cyber_threats] Daily News 09/23/02
>
>
>This appears to be a horrible miscarrige of justice. T0rn was 
>(allegedly) arrested for writing a root kit. Not for launching or 
>spreading a worm, not for attacking other people's systems, but just for 
>writing some code.
>
>Keep conducting "security" this way, and most of the people capable of 
>helping with the problem will go underground. Or perhaps it has already 
>happened ...
>
>Caveat: what I know about T0rn I read in the Register article. There may 
>be mitigating circumstances that make thsi rant irrelevant :)
>
>Crispin
>
>George Heuston wrote:
>
>  
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: NIPC Watch
>>To: Cyber Threats
>>Sent: 9/23/02 7:34 AM
>>Subject: [Cyber_threats] Daily News 09/23/02
>>
>>September 19, The Register
>>Linux rootkit hacker suspect arrested in UK. A 21-year old from
>>Surbiton,
>>Surrey has been arrested on suspicion of writing and distributing the
>>T0rn
>>rootkit, which dumbs down the process of hacking Linux servers. Officers
>>    
>>
>>from Scotland Yard's Computer Crime Unit arrested the man for alleged
>  
>
>>offences under Computer Misuse Act 1990 earlier this week, as part of a
>>joint FBI/Scotland Yard investigation into the creation of the T0rn
>>rootkit.
>>A search warrant was served and computer equipment seized from his
>>house.
>>The T0rn rootkit has been a hazard for system administrators since its
>>creation two years ago, especially when the rootkit was bundled as the
>>backdoor component of the Lion worm, released in the middle of last
>>year.
>>Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/27200.html
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Cyber_Threats mailing list
>>Cyber_Threats@listserv
>>http://listserv.infragard.org/mailman/listinfo/cyber_threats
>>
>> 
>>
>>    
>>
>
>  
>

-- 
Crispin Cowan, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist, WireX                      http://wirex.com/~crispin/
Security Hardened Linux Distribution:       http://immunix.org
Available for purchase: http://wirex.com/Products/Immunix/purchase.html