2600.com · Domains · Slashdot Mirror

http://www.humpin.org/decss/ by BlueUnderwear · 1999-11-13 04:32 · Score: 1 · on DVD Situation Takes New Turn

Explanation on legality of this information:

The software (source as well as binaries) offered on this site can be freely redistributed. It was written by authors who expressly permitted and encourage the redistribution of this software and information. The purpose of this software is not, I repeat not illegal copying of DVD disks. It is meant to provide information neccesary to be able to program a DVD player for Linux. To do this, the CSS system needs to be incorporated in the player. Recently the (very weak) content scrambling system was deciphered, freeing the way for a Linux DVD player. The CSS system is not a copy protection system, since it does not prevent copying of the disk. Writing information about the way a certain protection scheme functions is completely legal. The source code and binaries on this site are completely legal too, since they contain no code from the DVD consortium or one of its members. The sources and programs on this site are purely written by 3rd parties using clean-room reverse engineering methods, which is, again, completely legal. This software and information below make it possible for people who legally obtained their DVD movies to view them on their Linux systems.

Attention

www.rhythm.cx was hosting a list of mirrors for these files. That list of mirrors has been replaced with a page reading "This site has been taken down for legal reasons." Here's what the maintainer put on the site the day it was shut down:

NOTE (Thu, Nov 11, 12:17pm EST): I've recently been informed that a law firm which is likely to be one that would try get these mirrors taken down has been visiting this mirror site as well as others. With that said, there is a possibility that I may have to remove this site in the near future because like everyone else, I can't afford to go to court to fight it. Luckly, it seems fairly unlikely that any law firm will ever be able to get rid of all these mirrors at this point (there are currently 41 in 8 different countries and this list is growing every day). However, I have only seen very few mirror _lists_ like this one anyplace. If anyone has the resources, it might be wise to mirror this list of mirrors as well so that the right people will still know that these mirrors exist.

UPDATE: Here is a 2600 story with more details on how rhythm.cx was shut down.

I have taken it upon myself to mirror the mirrors. So until such time as the hounds of hell come a-knocking at my door, I present for you this list:

Page last updated: Sat, Nov 13, 4:50pm EST

Current Mirrors
(Numbers are only for the maintainer's convenience)

This site contains some good technical documentation as well as more source code that the DVD consorium's lawyers would rather you not see:
http://crypto.gq.nu/

Semi-broken Mirrors
(These mirrors sometimes work and sometimes don't)
ftp://134.173.94.44/

Broken Mirrors
(These are listed here for the notification of the people who run them)
http://members.theglobe.com/avoiderman/css-auth.ta r.gz

Mirrors shut down by The Man
(A moment of silence, please.)
http://www.rhythm.cx/dvd/css-auth.tar.gz and http://www.rhythm.cx/dvd/DeCSS.zip
http://dvdcracked.tvheaven.com/index.html

Vranesevich's Motivations? by The+Dodger · 1999-11-12 00:35 · Score: 5 · on Interview: John Vranesevich Doesn't Really Answer

Well, everyone seemed to like my analysis of the Bill Gate's interview, so... ;-)
By posting a photo of my younger sister (who was a minor at the time), along with her full name and address, he successfully started a mass campaign of harassment against her and my family. [...] Ken sold for a reported $125,000 to Kroll.
Can anyone confirm these statements?
AntiOnline was asked by the FBI to help investigate a group called "HFG" which broke into the New York Times' Website. AntiOnline does some digging, and turns over its findings. Shortly there after, Brian Martin, founder of Attrition.org, and someone that no one at AntiOnline had ever had any contact with before, was raided by the FBI.
So, let me get this straight. The Federal Bureau of Investigation requested help from Vranesivich. Okay, fair enough. Now, what I'd like to know is what these "findings" were. Did they include anything relating to Brian Martin? In other words, was Brian Martin raided by the FBI because of information supplied by AntiOnline?
I don't expect any answers to these questions, because if Vranesevich was at all interested in justifying himself, he would have actually answered the questions the Slashdot readers put to him. Instead, he's ignored them.
Hackers have their own lingua franca and they have coined various terms to describe that which they despise. A "lamer" is someone who's clueless and doesn't understand what hacking is about and isn't interested in learning. Often, a lamer is interested in hacking because he perceives it as being "cool". A "script kiddie" is someone who doesn't have the intelligence, skills, creativity or perseverance to be a hacker, and instead relies on using scripts and programs developed by others to break into sites. A "media whore" is someone who is primarily interested in getting coverage in the media, whether it's by getting mentioned in the press for a webpage defacement, or getting intervied. Finally, a "narq" is someone who informs on others to law enforcement agencies - i.e. an informer or grass.
I'll leave it up to the reader to figure out why Vranesevich is so despised.
Finally, his motives. I think it's clear that, in the beginning, Vranesevich's motives for launching the AntiOnline site were to do with a desire to gain acceptance in the hacker community. Later, I think that a desire to get coverage in the press may have influenced his decision to manufacture stories (see The Synthesis for more information) and possibly arrange/pay for sites to be hacked, so he could break the stories. Later still, his rejection by the hacker community, who perceived him for what he is, probably influenced his decision to switch sides, although it's possible that financial matters may also have played a part in that decision. Finally, the gradual realisation by the mainstream media that he is not, in fact, a security expert, but is, rather, a charlatan, probably forced him to look around for some other source of revenue.
I'm just wondering whether the reasons behind Vranesevich's continuing antagonism of the hacking community are related at all to his apparent pride at being the target of so many hacking attempts. He says that AntiOnline "probably have one of the most targeted networks on the internet today, and we take full advantage of that. Do you think that we let the type of data that we're able to collect and log just go to waste?"
Now, perhaps he thinks that information about attacks is valuable. Perhaps he's creating some form of database of information, or gathering statistics about the most common attacks. Security is a big deal at the moment - a lot of people are getting interested in it and are investing it in, in various ways. This sort of information would be of interest to certain companies, organisations, etc., but there are much better ways of gathering it, than effectively paying someone to become the most despised person in hacking circles.
If he's found someone who's stupid enough to pay for this sprt of info, then fair dues. Everyone's got to live, and seeing as how he's a complete failure (failed college, failed hacker, failed journalist, failed information security "expert"...), it kind of makes sense that he's managed to make a living out of the fact that practically everyone despises him. You could say that he's a professional loser, in fact.
The message that I'd like to get across to people is that Vranesevich isn't worth wasting time on. People like him are only significant as long as people care about them. As long as you're pissed off at what he does, he'll continue to be important.
So just ignore him. Stop visiting and attacking his site. Stop discussing him on Slashdot. Ignore him, and he'll become insignificant.
Unless he really pisses someone off, and turns up dead in a gutter one day. Which, from what I've heard, isn't exactly unlikely. :-)
For the record, I've never had any dealings with Vranesevich, except for one email a long time ago, pointing out the inaccuracy of some misleading information on his site, which he never replied to.
But I've read his articles and his comments and I've spoken to people who've had dealings with him, whether by interacting directly with him, or by owning him and reading his mail, and I'm not particularly impressed by him or well-disposed towards him.

The Dodger

"money" is root access to open code by zerone · 1999-10-28 05:17 · Score: 1 · on Nauru: Real life Kinakuta

If you believe in free exchange of ideas and resist censorship of your opinions and cultural expressions, then opening the source code for "money" is well worth talking about.

Tax evasion might be parasitic, but so might governmental policies taxing the creation rather than consumption of value. Maybe you don't like funding the "war on drugs" or corporate welfare for a booming prison industry either. Maybe you believe some forms of "intellectual property" are unethical and unfair barriers to fair trade. Maybe you think bombarding people with access to information instead of deadly bombs (iraq, kosovo) might engender far more liberty and justice for all. You might then look for alternative systems to trade your valuables.

As Hobbex says here, most of today's "offshore" alternatives are in reality subject to forceful persuasion. But unprecedented, dynamic, distributed, smart, encrypted exchange mediums could redefine "borders" and free a great deal of trade in ideas..

Goldstein VS MTV by hdj+jewboy · 1999-10-25 17:05 · Score: 3 · on Yet Another Article on Hacking

on a somewhat related note (all these hacker stories lately), Goldstein gives his 2 cents on the "MTV - Wanna Be a Hacker" Special.

MTV'S "TRUE LIFE" - A REVIEW

The beatings will continue until morale improves. by Myself · 1999-10-24 01:29 · Score: 3 · on Software to Predict "Troubled Youths"

This is truly frightening!

It's always been said that your scores on standardizes tests have a little bit to do with your knowledge of the subject and a lot to do with your test-taking skills. I know a guy who scored 1600 on the Math section of the SAT. He was good but nowhere near perfect, a few lucky guesses (by his own admission) landed him on a talkshow with some drooling chess masters.

Any human shrink has some judgement that they can temper their results with. This software has no such judgement, and I'm sure its results will be misused.

What if you have some kid with a less-than-complete grasp of the language, who misunderstands the word "anxiety" or something and accidentally gets him/herself into the Manson category?

The only solution is to protest this thing like hell, and attempt to defeat it wherever it appears. I'm waiting for the 2600 article on how to bluff your way through the shooting-spree-test.

Re:Take the day off? by IanCarlson · 1999-10-20 12:01 · Score: 1 · on October 21 is 'Jam Echelon' Day

Take a look at this list, not exactly national security here. If echelon does exist I'm sure its busy scanning for words that would be a lot more trivial/classified than 'HILLARY BILL CLINTON GORE.'

I couldn't possibly agree more. This sounds like either a hoax or heavy paranoia. One theroy I do buy it a theroy first in 2600 which was that the NSA monitors public IRC. This was brought up by Agent Steal whom may be bullsh*tting about it.

But, back on topic, the list does seem pretty superficial and I would wonder where words like ASSASSINATE would come into play (which I don't see on the list). So, for now:

FBI is a TERRORIST TASK FORCE which makes OLIVER NORTH BOMB.

Have fun guys with this one, guys.

I expect better from Jane's... by The+Dodger · 1999-09-29 21:16 · Score: 2 · on FIDNET, Cyberwarfare, and Reality

The excerpt from the Jane's article (also check out the full article) demonstrates the errors of judgement that are made by so-called "experts" who are approaching the concept of information warfare from the military/intelligence arena.
First of all, classifying infowar/infoterror alongside nuclear, biological and chemical attacks is wrong. They are completely different things, although there are some vague similarities in the skills and expertise needed to successfully carry out attacks.
Secondly, many analysts are failing to appreciate the differences between hacktivism, infoterror and infowar.
Hacktivism is about drawing attention to one's cause and spreading propaganda. It's most often achieved by defacing websites. We've seen an awful lot of hacktivism, from the 'Free Kevin' campaign to the Mexican Zapatistas. For hacktivists, hacking is merely a means to the end of getting exposure in the mass media.
Infoterror is the use of information warfare tactics to disrupt a nation's information and communications infrastructure in such a way as public opinion turns against the Government, forcing the government to accede to your demands. This can be equated to the IRA's tactics in the lead-up to their final ceasefire, where they disrupted motorways, postal deliveries, etc. in the UK - instead of actually causing physical harm to buildings and people, they disrupted the country's infrastructure, causing hassle for ordinary citizens, but without incurring the righteous indignation which accompanies terrorist bombs which kill innocent people. The attacks upon various internet sites belonging to NATO, the US and the UK during the Kosovan conflict were an example of a hacktivism campaign which was trying to be an infoterror campaign (but failing miserably).
Full infowar is an out-and-out attempt to completely disrupt or destroy an enemy nation's critical information, communications, command and control infrastructures, both civilian and military, and is likely to include attacks upon the physical infrastructure (e.g. bombing telecoms exchanges) as well as logical attacks (hacking, viruses, worms, etc.).
There's another complication in that the intelligence community is worried that terrorists are beginning to use the Internet for communications and to organise themselves (see the RAND report on Netwar for more on this). This use of the Internet by the Bad Guys muddies the water and obfuscates the threat presented to the 'Net by Other Bad Guys.
Thirdly, few so-called "experts" are realising that, as we move into the 21st century, a country's national security doesn't rely so much on the strength of it's armed forces, but instead upon it's economic strength and well-being, and as the economy begins to rely upon information and communications technologies more and more, the threat is growing.
Fourthly, just as soldiers know next to nothing about conducting naval battles, and sailors aren't exactly experts in air combat, existing military and intelligence people know next to nothing about information warfare. You have to turn to the hackers and their equivalent on the other side of the fence (i.e. system and network administrators who have the same skills as the hackers).
Even then, there's a world of difference between a script kiddie (the equivalent of a foot soldier who knows how to march and shoot, but little else), a real hacker (the equivalent of, say an officer, who can formulate tactics, etc.) and an information warfare strategist, who understands the big picture.
Finally, I will say this - this is a threat and, at the moment, it's a significant one, because our information and communications infrastructures are vulnerable and poorly defended. However, reducing the risk is neither particularly difficult nor expensive.
More significantly, the role for the military and intelligence communities in reducing the risk, is much smaller than most people think (and much smaller than the military and intel guys want it to be.
I've been studying information warfare for over six years. I've had articles published in military magazines, I've written reports, I'm even currently writing an article for a government magazine and I've spoken at security conferences, both white- and black-hat. I don't claim to know everything about information warfare, but I'm pretty sure I know a hell of a lot more about it that the guy who wrote that article.
As do many of Slashdot's readers, I suspect.

The Dodger
dodger@2600.com

Re:Interpeting laws loosely... by Mawbid · 1999-09-23 05:07 · Score: 1 · on Finns Outlaw Virus Writing

Perhaps I should have just looked it up :-)

Ed Cummings (Bernie S.) has been in prison since the spring of 1995 and is the first person to have been imprisoned without bail for something as harmless as possession of a modified Radio Shack tone dialer. He is also being charged with possession of a computer (no joke) and software which could be used to modify a cellular phone. This case is significant in that if successful in prosecuting him, the government would be able to prosecute almost any one of us because the tones and the information in his possession are very easy to get ahold of.

This is 2600's interpretation. Text from the indictment:

VIOLATIONS: 18 U.S.C. S1029(a)(5) (Possession of modified telecommunication instruments - 2 counts) 18 U.S.C. S1029(a)(6) (Possession of hardware and software used for altering telecommunications instruments - 1 count)

...

COUNT THREE
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
On or about March 15, 1995, at Villanova, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, defendant EDWARD E. CUMMINGS, knowingly and with intent to defraud did possess and have custody and control of hardware and software, that is an IBM "Think Pad" laptop computer and computer disks, used for altering and modifying telecommunications instruments to obtain unauthorized access to telecommunications service. In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(6).

What software that was isn't clear:

The government had found data on a commercial diskette in Bernie S.'s possession which they say was related to cellular fraud in California. While Bernie says he has no idea what it is they're referring to, the odds of a jury being able to understand how someone could have a diskette and not be held accountable for every bit of data on it seemed uncomfortably slim.

--

Re:Mainstream media & Trust by visor · 1999-09-21 12:43 · Score: 1 · on NSI E-mail Vunerability

Special Note: The NSI dotcomnow.com e-mail system vulnerability was discovered with a PalmIII PDA via a CDPD Novatel Plus Wireless modem connection to the internet using the Proxiweb browser..

Reply to Buddy on 01:17 PM September 20th, 1999 EDT

Well, you haven't seen it in the media because they are ignoring it. I've been paying way too much attention to this topic and I haven't heard a peep except what the hacker community already knows. This is not because I didn't try..Read On..

I messaged all the news media starting late Thursday night, Sept 16, 1999 and then into Friday. Tips@wired.com was the first place to be e-mailed: no response. Then I mailed local news and got the same. CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Microsoft (for the H of it), and NSI to name a few, were all mailed: again no response. Slashdot was also messaged sometime on Saturday, but there were 100+ submission pending, so I understand. http://slashdot.org/faq.shtml#Q42

The following message was sent:
You may already know this. I know at least one other person has figured it out.
The new Network Solutions E-mail systems are wide open. There are two ways to break in.
The first is to know the name of someone with an account with NSI, type
User: name
Pass: namensi
The second is this...
Here is the entry to the support account.
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/support?dlan g=default
Replace the word support with any valid account and bang, you're in.

The only response I received was sometime on Monday from http://netsecurity.about.com but well after it became public knowledge. .

As an ethical person, I wanted to give NSI fair warning. They were officially notified on Saturday, September 18, 1999. Since they were changing their production billing system on Saturday I figured that someone would react by verifying the hole and then taking down the system. This did not happen. I also tried calling. Don't try calling them; it's waste of time. 48 hours after notifying NSI, I released the information to various and nefarious sources detailing a 6-step process for guaranteed access. www.2600.com responded within minutes. In fact, they were so fast that they edited and posted the info about 5 minutes after it was sent. Now that's action.

Here's a copy of the original instructions:
Here is how to do it..
Instructions:
1. Click on Access Free Web Mail from Http://www.networksolutions.com
2. Click on one of the e-mail address near the bottom of the screen.
3. Click Click Here
4. Enter first and last name
5. Create a valid e-mail account
6. Wait until the screen says "Your Mailbox has been Created".
From here you can change the account name in this line
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/nametochange >?dlang=defaut
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/support?dlan g=default Actual Support Account

Here's a copy of the original mail I sent to my friends at 12:52 AM Sep. 18, 1999
Get this!
I just created an account on the Network Solutions new e-mail server and guess what...
I discovered a back door! NO SH***ING.....
Someone didn't do a good programming job here at all.
Simply type any name where you see the word "support"..
The link here will take you to their support e-mail
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/support?dlan g=default
If the account exists you will get in
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/oracle?dlang =default
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/microsoft?dl ang=default
http://mail.dotcomnow.com/signup/poll/whitehouse?d lang=default

Needless to say, We had a lot of fun collecting accounts over the weekend. Slightly on the dark side of ethical? Maybe, but isn't it more unethical to offer a service that you know is flawed and yet do nothing to fix it. More importantly, we collected these accounts to demonstrate that Hole #2 is still open. Yet, where is the news coverage, where is the outrage, and where does NSI get off ignoring this personal privacy breach. If you want to try out Hole #2 for yourself, you can e-mail me for a small list of inconsequential accounts. Hey M$, This method is also being used on Hotmail.

Message to the people who use Network Solutions freemail:
You should be scared. I'm nice and I'm trying to save you. I won't do anything, but I will make this information available to anyone (members of congress, the media, NSI, your neighbors) via request.
What does this mean?
IT MEANS WE CAN STILL READ YOUR E-MAIL
Solution: Forward and then delete all of your mail. Don't have any passwords mailed to the account. Don't register any Domain Names using the account. Stop using the NSI mail system until it's really fixed.

Message to NSI:
Shut down the server, fix the problem, and be nice. What you are doing is just wrong, very wrong. Get your third-party e-mail vendor to shape up. Or is that third-party thing just your way of shifting the blame? Tell us, who is this vendor and why do they suck so badly?

Message to the Mainstream News Media ( /. Excluded)
You Suck! Maybe NSI has some commercial hold on you or maybe you're just stupid. Why so much coverage on the Hotmail gaffs? NSI provided the world with a code free hack; a front door into their system. This was an idiot door far worse (my opinion) than the Hotmail blunder(s). I stumbled upon it with no thinking required. Is this not news? I guess that a mail system that is used by mostly "nerds" (taken from someone's previous post) isn't worth the attention. I understand that an earthquake in Taiwan, Raisa Gorbachev dying, and of course, Hurricane Floyd, are all big issues, but why so little comment in the tech and headline news media. Personally, I wanted to hear Sarah Baskin report it to the world. Oh well, poor me. Maybe some reporter will summarize what I've said here and get the word out that FREE MAIL IS NOT SAFE. Let me say it again...FREE MAIL IS NOT SAFE. I'm just a regular guy, I'm no "hacker". Look how easy it was to open up their system. This should be a wakeup call.

Well I have to go now. Unlike the folks at NSI, I need to stop playing around and get some real work done.

An even funnier link... by Decibel · 1999-09-19 22:30 · Score: 1 · on NSI E-mail Vunerability

...can be found at the bottom of the 2600 page mentioned above. http://www.2600.com/2600new/092099-mai l.html has some of the mail that was sent to webmaster@dotcomnow.com... very humorous stuff there. :)

Re:Very neat indeed by Anonymous Coward · 1999-08-27 05:14 · Score: 0 · on 911 Calls Linux

Look at this.

Re:After a lot of rereading... by broter · 1999-08-25 07:37 · Score: 1 · on Melissa Virus Suspect Confesses

This reminds me of the Bernie S. case. This is a guy who removed batteries from an autodialer that wasn't evidence (and he wasn't told not to) and was thrown in jail. Law enforcement's view of computer/technological devices is frighteningly warped. What really worries me is that most computer law is getting written by people who don't begin to understand them.

Clarification and background information by Trepidity · 1999-08-07 08:40 · Score: 2 · on Mitnick Charges Dropped

Well, as several others have pointed out already, these were the California state charges that were dropped. He was charged with breaking into the DMV computers, and it took them five years to realize that he didn't break into the computers after all (which is why they have no evidence to use in a trial and have to drop the charges). He just called up the front desk, pretended to be somebody else, and obtained the information over the phone.

As for the federal charges, he was scheduled to be sentenced last week. However, the sentencing hearing was delayed again, despite the fact that neither Mitnick's lawyers nor the prosecution had asked for a delay, and the fact that the judge had previously promised that there would be no more delays in the hearing (it has already been delayed several times). It's now scheduled for August 9th.

As for the speedy trial, Mitnick did indeed waive his right to a speedy trial, but only because the court refused to let him spend more than a few hours a week in the legal library, refused to allow him to use a computer to review analyze computer disks that were to be used as evidence, and refused to pay his court-appointed lawyer for more than the standard number of hours, despite the fact that there were millions of pages of evidence to go through. Since the court purposely made his defence's evidence review so slow, he had no choice but to waive his right to a speedy trial, in the hopes that he could at least get a fair one. The trial was delayed even more by various unexplained administrative snafus such as the sentencing hearing delay mentioned above.

Throughout the case, the FBI, Secret Service, and corporations have been unreasonable and just plain stupid. The Secret Service initially argued against bail, saying that he could possibly interfere with the 1996 presidential election. They refused to let him have a walkman in the cell, fearing that his super-hacker skills could lead him to make a tape recorder out of it (despite the fact that it had no recording head). Sun Microsystems claimed that by viewing some of their proprietary source code, Mitnick caused them $80 million in damage. Now they give that source code away for free, so obviously their damage claims are frivolous. Sun isn't the only guilty corporation either. When the letters discussing these ludicrous damages were made public, the corporations and government became upset at being exposed.

All in all, Kevin Mitnick is a petty thief who has been set up as an example by an incompetent group of corporations and beaurocracies as some sort of super-hacker-terrorist who must be shut away.

Clarification and background information by Trepidity · 1999-08-07 08:40 · Score: 2 · on Mitnick Charges Dropped

Well, as several others have pointed out already, these were the California state charges that were dropped. He was charged with breaking into the DMV computers, and it took them five years to realize that he didn't break into the computers after all (which is why they have no evidence to use in a trial and have to drop the charges). He just called up the front desk, pretended to be somebody else, and obtained the information over the phone.

As for the federal charges, he was scheduled to be sentenced last week. However, the sentencing hearing was delayed again, despite the fact that neither Mitnick's lawyers nor the prosecution had asked for a delay, and the fact that the judge had previously promised that there would be no more delays in the hearing (it has already been delayed several times). It's now scheduled for August 9th.

As for the speedy trial, Mitnick did indeed waive his right to a speedy trial, but only because the court refused to let him spend more than a few hours a week in the legal library, refused to allow him to use a computer to review analyze computer disks that were to be used as evidence, and refused to pay his court-appointed lawyer for more than the standard number of hours, despite the fact that there were millions of pages of evidence to go through. Since the court purposely made his defence's evidence review so slow, he had no choice but to waive his right to a speedy trial, in the hopes that he could at least get a fair one. The trial was delayed even more by various unexplained administrative snafus such as the sentencing hearing delay mentioned above.

Throughout the case, the FBI, Secret Service, and corporations have been unreasonable and just plain stupid. The Secret Service initially argued against bail, saying that he could possibly interfere with the 1996 presidential election. They refused to let him have a walkman in the cell, fearing that his super-hacker skills could lead him to make a tape recorder out of it (despite the fact that it had no recording head). Sun Microsystems claimed that by viewing some of their proprietary source code, Mitnick caused them $80 million in damage. Now they give that source code away for free, so obviously their damage claims are frivolous. Sun isn't the only guilty corporation either. When the letters discussing these ludicrous damages were made public, the corporations and government became upset at being exposed.

All in all, Kevin Mitnick is a petty thief who has been set up as an example by an incompetent group of corporations and beaurocracies as some sort of super-hacker-terrorist who must be shut away.

Clarification and background information by Trepidity · 1999-08-07 08:40 · Score: 2 · on Mitnick Charges Dropped

Well, as several others have pointed out already, these were the California state charges that were dropped. He was charged with breaking into the DMV computers, and it took them five years to realize that he didn't break into the computers after all (which is why they have no evidence to use in a trial and have to drop the charges). He just called up the front desk, pretended to be somebody else, and obtained the information over the phone.

As for the federal charges, he was scheduled to be sentenced last week. However, the sentencing hearing was delayed again, despite the fact that neither Mitnick's lawyers nor the prosecution had asked for a delay, and the fact that the judge had previously promised that there would be no more delays in the hearing (it has already been delayed several times). It's now scheduled for August 9th.

As for the speedy trial, Mitnick did indeed waive his right to a speedy trial, but only because the court refused to let him spend more than a few hours a week in the legal library, refused to allow him to use a computer to review analyze computer disks that were to be used as evidence, and refused to pay his court-appointed lawyer for more than the standard number of hours, despite the fact that there were millions of pages of evidence to go through. Since the court purposely made his defence's evidence review so slow, he had no choice but to waive his right to a speedy trial, in the hopes that he could at least get a fair one. The trial was delayed even more by various unexplained administrative snafus such as the sentencing hearing delay mentioned above.

Throughout the case, the FBI, Secret Service, and corporations have been unreasonable and just plain stupid. The Secret Service initially argued against bail, saying that he could possibly interfere with the 1996 presidential election. They refused to let him have a walkman in the cell, fearing that his super-hacker skills could lead him to make a tape recorder out of it (despite the fact that it had no recording head). Sun Microsystems claimed that by viewing some of their proprietary source code, Mitnick caused them $80 million in damage. Now they give that source code away for free, so obviously their damage claims are frivolous. Sun isn't the only guilty corporation either. When the letters discussing these ludicrous damages were made public, the corporations and government became upset at being exposed.

All in all, Kevin Mitnick is a petty thief who has been set up as an example by an incompetent group of corporations and beaurocracies as some sort of super-hacker-terrorist who must be shut away.

Re:trial by Trepidity · 1999-08-07 08:21 · Score: 2 · on Mitnick Charges Dropped

Bernie S was the one that was beaten up in prison, after being "accidentally" sent to a maximum security prison.

info.

As far as I know, his lawsuit against the Pennsylvania prison system is still pending, but I haven't been able to find much information on it.

Suggestion by j+c+s · 1999-07-14 22:13 · Score: 1 · on Premiere Episode of Slashdot Radio:Geeks in Space

Get rid of the tacky guitar riffs and other cheesy sound effects (it's beginning to sound like Off The Hook).

Re:Microsoft Television.... wooohoooo by Anonymous Coward · 1999-07-12 20:26 · Score: 0 · on Microsoft Invests in Rogers

Check this one out... 2600 Mag Winter 98 I don't remember where they said this was, but it's obviously much bigger than 32 inches and in some vacation type area.

No, this is the most annoying thing on the web... by Rocket+Boy · 1999-06-10 01:19 · Score: 1 · on New mp3 Hardware

Right here

(and don't close that pop up, you might miss it :) )
RB

Crackers call themselves hackers by Ulrik · 1999-06-05 19:35 · Score: 1 · on Ask Slashdot: Another Word for "Hacker"?

Isn't part of the problem that the "crackers" refer to themselves as "hackers"...? For example, www.2600.com mentions sites that have recently been "hacked" and they even seem to have a magazine called "The Hacker Quarterly"...

Given this and the fact that very few outside the "white knight" hacker community refer to anything positive with the term "hacker", I think the best thing to do would be to start using some other term than "hackers" for us "white knights"... I always thought the "hacking" term was a strange one to choose for quality coding, anyway...

That said, I don't like "white knight hackers" either! It should be short, not glorifying but still be easy to associate with something positive and constructive.

Crackers call themselves hackers by Ulrik · 1999-06-05 19:35 · Score: 1 · on Ask Slashdot: Another Word for "Hacker"?

Isn't part of the problem that the "crackers" refer to themselves as "hackers"...? For example, www.2600.com mentions sites that have recently been "hacked" and they even seem to have a magazine called "The Hacker Quarterly"...

Given this and the fact that very few outside the "white knight" hacker community refer to anything positive with the term "hacker", I think the best thing to do would be to start using some other term than "hackers" for us "white knights"... I always thought the "hacking" term was a strange one to choose for quality coding, anyway...

That said, I don't like "white knight hackers" either! It should be short, not glorifying but still be easy to associate with something positive and constructive.

Re:Mitnick doesn't deserve this attention. by King+Ruin · 1999-05-10 22:41 · Score: 1 · on 2600 publishes FBI's inflated Mitnick money figures

You're right. He is a criminal. He did break the law. He stole confidential information.

However, that doesn't mean he deserves what he is getting. The biggest problem I have with the Mitnick case is that no one deserves to be held this long without having a trial. (As of this writing 4 years, 2 months, 24 days, 33 minutes xx seconds.)

Now if that doesn't make you feel the least bit outraged or nervous about the us government then I think you might have some mental problems.

I am not condoning what he's done. I wouldn't say that he was even wrongfully accused, but come on. 4 years? If you accidentally hit a pedestrian while driving home from work one day, and were charged with manslaughter would you want to spend 4 years in jail, just to tell the judge that the stupid ass jumped out in front of your car?

Bleah.
-King_Ruin

Hmmm... this makes sense - sort of by Anonymous Coward · 1999-04-13 12:19 · Score: 0 · on NT faster than Linux in tests

Remember that post a while ago that announced how 2600 posted some "proposed" hacks of what they would do to certain company's sites? Well, on the "hacked" Microsoft site they have a little headline that says:

Windows NT Server 4.0 Outperforms Solaris

Mindcraft, a Microsoft-certified testing lab, recently released a report that shows Windows NT Server 4.0 on a dual Pentium II/450 MHz system with 2 GB of RAM is more than 25 percent faster and offers 2.7 times better price-performance than Solaris x86 on a 486DX2.

Sounds familiar. Idiots...

Defending L0pht/CDC... by Anonymous Coward · 1999-03-26 09:21 · Score: 1 · on How to Become a Hacker

l0pht/cDc are more crackers than hackers. I respect them and their work. But it takes more than coding skills and a purpose to be a hacker. It takes a specific kind of attitude.

Frankly, I think that having said coding skills and sense of purpose tends to come about from having that "specific kind of attitude". I do respect L0pht/CDC and their hacking skills. I think they have all of the hacker qualities you mention. Just listen to talk they gave at Beyond Hope in 1997 regarding the theory behind the operation of L0phtcrack. (Here is the RealAudio talk.)

Ask Kevin Mitnick's persecutors by Anonymous Coward · 1999-02-15 04:45 · Score: 0 · on Accidental Hacking?

In the US, consider Kevin Mitnick's persecution. (persecution, not prosecution). He's been in jail, without trial, for four years and counting. His alleged offense, the reason for the nationwide manhunt? Parole violation.

(N.B.; I'm not defending Mitnick's alleged actions. But the "war on hackers," like the "war on drugs," raises some damn embarassing questions about the true costs of the battle. There are damn few non-violent cases so complex that a four year pretrial period is justified. By the time that the trial finally concludes, with Kevin be sentenced to prison for five years, then immediately released for time served?! That absurd possibility can't be dismissed.)

2600 Magazine reports numberous other abuses of civil liberties once the "H" word is raised. On President's Day, it's embarassing to be an American.

Regarding US laws; my advice (after reading 2600 for five years, and having been threatened by numerous people I've tried to help) is

Never print a note to shared files,
Never modified a shared file system,
Never even look, and
Don't even warn the idiots.

The ruthless reason is that if anything goes wrong then you will be considered the prime suspect. And when you are running a genuinue Microsoft-brand quality shitware®, things are always going wrong. It's a hell of a lot easier to blame that "hacker" who sent you a message "boasting" about how easy it was to break into your system than to fight tech support.

If the guy has money or connections, he may even be able to make you pay for your "crimes"...

Implications by Cid+Highwind · 1999-02-02 09:26 · Score: 1 · on Court rules website threats harm

Actually, 2600 maintains a gallery of sites to be hacked. Check out this link

sorry about the HTML screw-up. This one seems to have worked

Slashdot Mirror

Domain: 2600.com

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