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Felony For Refreshing a Web Page?

therandomw writes "An 18 year-old boy was recently arrested in Ohio for telling fellow students to refresh the schools web page in order to slow down the server. He is being charged with a felony and is currently being held in jail. According to Canton City Prosecutor Frank Forchione 'This new technology has created a whole wave of crimes, and we're just trying to find ways to solve them.'"

65 of 965 comments (clear)

  1. Oh Crap! by rodgster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fark!

    I just commited 7 felonies waiting for this story to appear.

    --
    Who will guard the guards?
  2. Article slashdoted... by Eyah....TIMMY · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... after all the /. readers held down F5 to see if it really worked

    --

    It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well. - Rene Descartes (1637)
  3. Apply this to eBay... by NaruVonWilkins · · Score: 2, Funny

    and you've got a new way to fill the jails!

  4. the media by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love the complete bullshit way this article frames the situation. He didn't put a link, he "created a website, which connected to the school's system." ooo.. sinister.. yeah...

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:the media by Stevyn · · Score: 2, Funny

      It should have said:

      "He hacked into a web server (logged into blogspot) and modified the internal structure of it's files system (uploaded a web page) that created a "hyperlink" to the school's entire computer infrastructure (link to http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/hs). He then called upon his gang of evil cohourts to help him destroy their "servers" (asked people even more bored than him to visit that page and press F5 a few times until they realized it was as dumb as reading the blog). This caused a massive meltdown of "computer technology" which nearly destroyed the computer systems (they got more than 5 hits a day and wondered what was up).

      btw, the parts in parenthesis is (reality)

  5. But wait, don't order yet!! by shystershep · · Score: 3, Funny

    New, only on Slashdot, the Outrage-O-Matic!!

    Simply take the bare facts of a story, throw in some out-of-context quotes and counter-factual insinuations, and that boring story about some punk's criminal mischief is suddenly about the Man's insane overreaction to a harmless prank!

    It's fun for the whole family! Get yours today!

    --
    The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer. - Albert Einstein
  6. Holy Crap by jandrese · · Score: 5, Funny

    Slashdot is in a heap of trouble.

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  7. In other news ... by bushboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    .. Canton City just got their first set of traffic lights installed.

    Frank Forchione was quoted as saying :-

    "Hot Diggidy, this new fangled technology sure is mighty fine !, but it's created a whole wave of crimes, and we'll just have to find ways to solve them."

    --
    A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
  8. Does this mean that it's also a felony by multiplexo · · Score: 4, Funny
    to press all of the buttons on an elevator at once?

    --
    cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
    1. Re:Does this mean that it's also a felony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just tried it.... you piece of crap, I was stuck in the elevetor for 30 mins.

    2. Re:Does this mean that it's also a felony by multiplexo · · Score: 2, Funny
      Just tried it.... you piece of crap, I was stuck in the elevetor for 30 mins.

      Good thing you posted as AC, otherwise Frank Forchione would be sending the cops after you and you'd probably wind up in one of those "pound me in the ass" penitentiaries.

      --
      cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
    3. Re:Does this mean that it's also a felony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yes, if it's a Space Elevator.

    4. Re:Does this mean that it's also a felony by Ambush · · Score: 2, Funny
      Does this mean that it's also a felony to press all of the buttons on an elevator at once?

      Nope, but if you send all the lifts to the same floor all at once, then it's a felony! ;-)

      --
      There are 10 kinds of people; those who know ternary, those who don't, and those now hunting for a dictionary.
  9. Re:Let the slashdotting begin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah. If it doesn't work at first, just hit F5 to try again. It'll work eventually...

  10. everybody hold down F5 to help crash slashdot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    it's not a "public service" so it's legal!

  11. "clearly, we must protect the children" by Triumph+The+Insult+C · · Score: 2, Funny

    i think we should bring a class action lawsuit against all companies that make keyboards, they are manufacturing unsafe products that encourage criminal behavior in america's youth by their continued inclusion of the button 'F5'

    --
    vodka, straight up, thank you!
  12. Re:must be more zero tolerance by Bin_jammin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe someone will post a mirror and we can reload that. That'll show 'em.

  13. Re:must be more zero tolerance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Boy if they thought a few people in a chat room would be bad....

    Or

    Witness the firepower of a fully armed and operational slashdotting!!

  14. Re:Seems like a waste of time and money by User+956 · · Score: 1, Funny

    So if I tell someone to shoot the principal that would be exercising my free speech?

    Straw man? Is that you?

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  15. Re:Let the slashdotting begin by John3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Uh oh...did you just commit a felony?

    --
    "We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
  16. Re:Seems like a waste of time and money by JWW · · Score: 4, Funny

    Causing a tremendous amount of damage?

    I'm sure the kid didn't cause a tremendous amount of damage. Not so sure about what the slashdotting will do....

  17. School by taskforce · · Score: 4, Funny
    The school in question is Lake High School in Uniontown Ohio.

    http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/

    The site is actually down, which is a shame; it would have been a nice oppurtunity to see if we could get Zonk thrown in jail for posting it on the Slashdot front page.

    --
    My 3D Texturing Skinning work (under construction)
  18. Re:must be more zero tolerance by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny
    Does this mean I'm going to be charged with a felony? I can't wait for the extradition hearing?

    "Your honor, the defendant is accused of taking part in a Slashdotting of a high school web server in the United States, and faces felony charges."

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  19. Wow by g0bshiTe · · Score: 2, Funny

    "18 year old man arrested for DDoSing his schools website by encouraging other students to quickly click refresh. In retaliation for his incarciration, he used his telephone call to call his freind Stevie, whom he told to post to /. and all the schools servers were /.ed."

    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
  20. Canton, OH is not known for common sense by ChipMonk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Last year, an article on the WEWS Channel 5 website had this gem of a quote:

    "School officials are not sure they [know] what has caused so many pregnancies..."

    Someone needs to get these people a clue-bat.

  21. Re:Let the slashdotting begin by CountZero117 · · Score: 2, Funny

    you have some major cahones man, posting it on your account and not AC ;)

  22. Re:Low-tech DDoS? by Skye16 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since his intent was to crash the school server, even as a joke, then his intent was to crash the school server. It doesn't look very good for him.

    Of course, they would have been better off letting him slide than making a few hundred thousand / million geeks curious all at once. That server probably unhooked its own ethernet cable, packed up its keyboard and mouse, and walked out the front door by now. Or it melted and dripped all over the carpet.

  23. Vulnerability exists on Linux as well by Pakaran2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    As a concerned user of fully patched Gentoo, I have tested the "F5 causes excessive reloading" vulnerability. It works on Konqueror, Mozilla and Firefox, with all patches installed, including hardened kernel. Local access to the machine is NOT required; the F5 vulnerability can be triggered when opening a web browser through, e.g., SSH forwarded X connections.

    I hope there will be a patch soon!

  24. New technology by Jotii · · Score: 5, Funny

    This new technology has created a whole wave of crimes

    Behold the refresh button, the wonder of modern technology.

    --
    [sig]
  25. Re:Canton City website by JabberWokky · · Score: 2, Funny
    Actually, they aren't sending stormtroopers... they decided to send in the Hero of Canton, the Man they call Jayne.

    --
    Evan

    --
    "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
  26. You know, with this kind of logic... by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 3, Funny

    Cmdrtaco & Drew Curtis should be on death row!

  27. Re:Low-tech DDoS? by Idimmu+Xul · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well I clicked the link to the schools homepage, KNOWING that I would help bring it down.

    Whatcha gonna do, punk!

    --
    The problem with slashdot is that most of its users were bullied and stuffed into lockers as kids!
  28. Re:Let the slashdotting begin by wuie · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sure! I've always wanted to win at a felony!

  29. Re:Seems like a waste of time and money by John3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Causing a tremendous amount of damage? WTF? He's not DDoSing Air Traffic Control.

    Yes, but what if there was a snow day announcement and nobody could access the web site to check if school was open. Oh, the inhumanity!

    --
    "We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
  30. Re:must be more zero tolerance by Philip+K+Dickhead · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hell,

    Doing F-5 on /. is normal, no?

    --
    "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
  31. Re:Must Have A Pretty Bad Webserver by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This school must have a pretty bad webserver if simply clicking on refresh brings the server to its knees.

    *cough* Windows 98 *cough*

  32. Re:Canton Law Dept page by glassjaw+rocks · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes! My city is getting owned.

    --
    -gjr
  33. Re:Canton Law Dept page by KenCrandall · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, a Manual Distributed Slashdotting Denial Of Service would be an MSDOS. :-) (Lame, but it made me giggle to think it up.)

  34. Re:must be more zero tolerance by metternich · · Score: 2, Funny

    You know gouys, They might just use the /.ing of the site as evidence against him in the trial.

    See how destructive his actions were, your honor. The school's servers were down for days.

    --
    Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
  35. Re:Number of hits by raoul666 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Jesus. I could handle 900 hits by tapping it out personally over the bloody phone line with one of those morse code thingys.

    --
    When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl
  36. Re:must be more zero tolerance by MikeFM · · Score: 1, Funny

    Great, I now have my scripts bitch slapping their server 24/7. Nothing these dick wads don't deserve. I hope someone donates a lawyer to the kids cause.

    --
    At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
  37. Re:must be more zero tolerance by superdominican · · Score: 4, Funny

    This story is very important. Slashdot should follow for the next few months. Make sure the URL is posted during that time so that we can be kept up to date on what their side of teh story is.

  38. Re:must be more zero tolerance by aplusjimages · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think they took it down. Now I can't see whats for lunch on Monday.

    --
    Can I bum a sig?
  39. Re:must be more zero tolerance by mindaktiviti · · Score: 4, Funny

    I tried your link but it didn't work, so then I tried refreshing a bunch of times but it still didn't work! :(

  40. Re:Low-tech DDoS? by Metrol · · Score: 3, Funny

    He deserved a week suspension.

    Yeah, a week of sitting at home hitting F5!

    --
    The line must be drawn here. This far. No further.
  41. Re:must be more zero tolerance by ABaumann · · Score: 3, Funny

    Actually, I think it's just the opposite.

    "It couldn't possibly be him. He was in jail at the time of the second attack."

  42. Re:Canton Law Dept page by cammoblammo · · Score: 5, Funny

    'Manual Slashdotting Denial of Service' works better. Of course, 'Slashdotting' implies 'Distributed.'

    Come to think of it, it implies 'Manual' too.

    --

    Cogito, ergo sig.

  43. I did it! I'm glad I did it! by AmazingRuss · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd do it again!

    (click)

    BAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!

  44. Re:must be more zero tolerance by jimicus · · Score: 4, Funny

    It really was a joke to say that the site would crash, because it wouldn't - and didn't.

    Until it was slashdotted.

  45. Re:must be more zero tolerance by chphilli · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow - you saw how much trouble this kid is in for refreshing his school's website, now you're trying to Snail-Slash the Stark county jail? You're brave!

    --
    Please ignore any obvious problems in this post.
  46. Which ordinance? This one? by syukton · · Score: 2, Funny

    HTTP Status 500 -

    ----------

    type Exception report

    message

    description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.

    exception

    java.lang.NullPointerException
            OrdinanceGet2.doGet(OrdinanceGet2.java:43)
            javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet .java:743)
            javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet .java:856)

    note The full stack trace of the root cause is available in the Tomcat logs.

    ----------

    Apache Tomcat/5.0.19


    Yeah, I hate it when I break that ordinance...

    --
    Reinvent the wheel only at either a lower cost, greater effectiveness, or your own personal enrichment and satisfaction.
  47. Re:must be more zero tolerance by Headcase88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a very valuable page. No wonder the school and police were after this fellow. He wasn't just taking some lousy page that no one read in the last 3 months temporarily out of service, he was trying to stop students from "achiev[ing] their full potential for intellectual and personal growth". Clearly, he had to be stopped before he went on to more illustrious crimes like overwhelming the server that powers the site about sidetalking.

    --
    "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
  48. The felony is obviously for... by itior · · Score: 3, Funny

    Theft!

    He is making them steal MEGAHERTZ!

  49. Experiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Lets see how my school district reacts.

    http://www.oasd.k12.wi.us/

  50. Please show damages by jnaujok · · Score: 5, Funny

    Excuse me for pointing this out, but where exactly are the damages that relate to this felony. If this kid finds a lawyer with even an ounce of brains, the court case should last thirty seconds.

    Lawyer: Why do you have a web site?

    School: So the public can access it.

    Lawyer: So, is the same machine running it today?

    School: Yes.

    Lawyer: Does it run on the same connection?

    School: Yes.

    Lawyer: And it runs the same software, with the same data?

    School: Yes.

    Lawyer: So, in fact, nothing was erased or altered on the machine in any way? Correct?

    School: Yes.

    Lawyer: Did your service provider charge you with any extra fees?

    School: No.

    Lawyer: So, apart from a handful of extra traffic, which you admit slowed down but did not stop, damage, or destroy hardware, software, or data, and which did not cost you any extra money, you had not other damages?

    School: Uhm, well, I guess that's correct.

    Lawyer: Tell me, do you sue the driver in front of you if he slows down, or charge the slow walking grandmother holding up the line with a felony?

    School: Uhm, no.

    Lawyer: Tell me, if all the phone lines are in use at the school because people are calling them, is that a felony? Are prank calls a felony?

    School: Er, no.

    Lawyer: So, your basis for the "damage" in this case is that a student basically asked his friends to "call-up" the computer until you had a busy signal.

    School: Yes.

    Lawyer: In fact, your entire web site listed less than 900 hits before it was Slashdotted into oblivion. Tell me, have you started legal proceedings against the news agency that took the story national, or Zonk for posting it on Slashdot?

    School: Erm, no.

    Lawyer: So, you're only willing to harrass young children? To send a child to prison for what amounts to no more than a phone call where they hang up? Is that what you feel is acceptable? Is that, in fact, what you view as teaching our children?

    School: Er, do I have to answer that?

    Lawyer: Well, you are making me wait, keeping me busy, I might have to file a felony suit against you for that...

    --
    Life, the Universe, and Everything... in my image.
  51. Re:must be more zero tolerance by dogbreathcanada · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does this mean we're all going to be charged with a felony too?

  52. Re:must be more zero tolerance by ingoldsby · · Score: 2, Funny

    Heh...

    Unable to connect
    Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at lake.stark.k12.oh.us.

    * The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.

    * If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.

    * If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

  53. Re:must be more zero tolerance by sharkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe if you design a mod for GTA that involves sodomizing a high school student in a small cement room with barred windows, Jack Thompson will donate his legal services.

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  54. Re:The Prosector has permanently killed that serve by ENIGMAwastaken · · Score: 1, Funny

    Being from Ohio, I'd like to defend the state or whatever. But I really can't. Dumbasses abound. The entire government of the state is a joke. Top to bottom bullshit.

  55. Re:Canton Law Dept page PDF by el+americano · · Score: 5, Funny

    That *was* engrossing, but personally I found this 7.2MB pdf on Zone Change Procedures to be even more informative:

    http://www.cityofcanton.com/safetyservice/bldgcode s/zonechangesample.pdf

    --
    Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. -Groucho Marx
  56. not only did it kill the HS' site... by potus98 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not only has this killed the High School's website, but it seems other schools (and stuff) were hosted on at the same place:

    Lake High School http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/hs/
    Lake Middle School http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/ms/
    Lake Elementary http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/le/
    Hartville Elementary http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/he/
    Uniontown Elementary http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/ue/
    Lake County District http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/
    Staff Login http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/login.php
    Athletics http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/athletics
    News http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/news/news.php
    Help Desk Login http://staff.lake.stark.k12.oh.us/helpdesk/login.p hp
    Mr. Wood's Homepage http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/~wooddave/compsciiii-o bjectives.php
    AP Calculus http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/~erbdave/Calculus/inde x.php
    Mr. Erb's Homepage http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/~erbdave/main.php
    Jester Labs http://lake.stark.k12.oh.us/~wooddave/jesterlabs/i ndex.html

    BTW: According to Google's cached version of their site from Jan 1, 2006 03:32:05 GMT:

    "This page has been viewed 580 times! Powered by CMS Made Simple 0.10.4"

    Heh heh heh... IF it ever recovers from the /.ing it'll read "This page has been viewed 7.2*10^36. Please see Mr. Erb for conversion details."

    --
    This one gang kept wanting me to join cause I'm pretty good with a bo staff.
  57. I wonder what would have happened... by buddyglass · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...if he'd told all his friends to mail a bunch of letters right around Dec. 25 in order to bog down the postal service! Denial of Service!

  58. Re:must be more zero tolerance by Steepe · · Score: 5, Funny

    Population density != intellegence

    Actually I have found the reverse to be true, to a point. With a dense population, you have more stupid people per square block.

    --
    Just three more hours seapeople and you can finally take me away from this crappy God Damned planet full of hippies
  59. THATS funny.... by dartarrow · · Score: 2, Funny

    from google cache of the site

    : Lake High School
    1025 Lake Center Street
    Uniontown, Ohio 44685-9462
    Office (330) 877-4282
    Attendance (330) 877-4762
    Fax (330) 877-0853

    Office hours when school is in session: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All visitors must enter Door #1 and sign in at the main office.

    Lake High School is located in Stark County, Ohio. A total of 1220 students in grades nine through twelve make up the student body.

    Powered by CMS Made Simple 0.10.4
    Think you've found a bug? Report it.




    Think we should report a bug...?

    --
    I love humanity, it is people I hate
  60. Re:must be more zero tolerance by True+Grit · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, No, there's no "think" in there, and you forgot "Jim".