RE: What to do with a vulerability?

From: Jason Coombs (jasoncat_private)
Date: Thu Jan 23 2003 - 14:30:57 PST

  • Next message: Oliver Lavery: "RE: What to do with a vulerability?"

    See:
    
    http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism_militias/
    20011031_eff_usa_patriot_analysis.html
    
    You may be accused of providing "material support" (?? 803, 805) to
    terrorists.
    
    By creating and releasing an exploit tool you may be accused of "terrorism
    transcending national borders per 18 USC ?2332b"
    
    You'll definitely be accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,
    which is really given some teeth by the Patriot Act:
    
    "Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), 18 USC ?1030. USAPA sec. 202 adds
    felony violations of the CFAA"
    
    "The EFF is also deeply dismayed to see that the Attorney General seized
    upon the legitimate Congressional concern following the September 11, 2001
    attacks to pad the USAPA with provisions that have at most, a tangential
    relationship to preventing terrorism. Instead, they appear targeted at low
    and mid-level computer defacement and damage cases which, although clearly
    criminal, are by no means terrorist offenses and have no business being
    included in this bill."
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Oliver Lavery [mailto:oliver.laveryat_private]
    Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 10:22 AM
    To: jasoncat_private; 'The Blueberry'; BlueBoarat_private
    Cc: vuln-devat_private
    Subject: RE: What to do with a vulerability?
    
    
    Hi guys,
    
    	Blue Boar's suggestion is pretty much how I'm going, after being
    brushed off by a few researchers (and CERT), who seem to have given me the
    'once you have root you can do anything, so who cares?' line. I think that
    that's bullocks in certain cases, like this one, so I think publishing a
    non-viral PoC is the way to go. Oddly you don't even realy have to have root
    (*ehm* Administrator) to achieve what I'm talking about.
    
    	Jason's point is well taken though. I get the connection with the
    DMCA, but would one of you yankees be so kind as to explain how
    P.A.T.R.I.O.T applies to this sort of thing? (I'm Canadian myself ...
    Fortunately we don't sign away our rights quite as easily).
    
    	Thanks, btw. The discussion my post generated has been most
    informative. Sorry I haven't replied to the slew of responses and questions
    (many of which didn't hit the list), but I've received rather a surprisingly
    large amount of mail about this.
    
    	BB, incidentally, you asked "So you are saying you've got a way to
    hide a process running on a Windows machine?". Yeah, that's precisely what
    I'm saying ... Hide a process, registry keys, files etc.
    
    Cheers,
    ~ol
    
    
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Jason Coombs [mailto:jasoncat_private]
    Sent: January 23, 2003 3:04 PM
    To: The Blueberry; BlueBoarat_private; oliver.laveryat_private
    Cc: vuln-devat_private
    Subject: RE: What to do with a vulerability?
    
    
    When you think explicit thoughts and share them with others in detail you
    may be found guilty of violating the DMCA or the Patriot Act.
    
    Viral vs. non-viral is an unimportant distinction -- if you choose to engage
    in this business, be sure you can document your good intentions and your
    legal forensic procedures because they are your only legal defense against
    prosecution.
    
    Persecution, on the other hand, is a given.
    
    Sincerely,
    
    Jason Coombs
    jasoncat_private
    



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