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Judge Refuses To Convict Hacker

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the he-said-he-was-sorry dept.

Jake96 writes "A judge in Wellington, New Zealand, declined to convict a man who ran an unrequested security audit on a bank's phone systems and was charged with 'intentionally accessing a computer system knowing he was not authorized to,' according to an article in the New Zealand Herald."

5 of 272 comments (clear)

  1. Can this set a precedent here in the States? by defile · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I hope so.

  2. Not a good way to do business by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    More than anything, this guy is a business dumbass for doing the work and providing the results before even a contract was drawn up. Because of this strange sequence of events (providing vulnerability information before being requested), all of a sudden his generous offer looks more like extortion than altruism.

    His background with fraud (though 10 years prior) sullies his reputation even further.

    It's not a crime to be a dumbass. At least not in NZ, apparently.

  3. Borderline scam? by Louis+A.+J. · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While he didn't do anything illegal, I would be very surprised to receive a bill for a service I didn't request. His actions weren't illegal but his method of doing business definitely leaves something to be desired. Although his decision to not broadcast the bank's weaknesses to the public could be viewed as integrity, it could also be calculated business sense. It doesn't sound like someone I would choose to do business with.

    Would you honestly pay for a service you weren't told you were receiving and didn't ask for if you were billed for it?

  4. MAYDAY MAYDAY by copponex · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Lawyer 131236716723: Shit. This is not good.

    Lawyer 216421934614: What?

    Lawyer 131236716723: They didn't throw this guy in jail who broke some technicality against a major corporation.

    Lawyer 216421934614: WHAT?

    Lawyer 131236716723: I'm serious! New Zealand! That fucking judge forgot how hard it is to pay off an SL500 and those student loans on a measly $70,000 starting salary!

    Lawyer 216421934614: Look, I know you're new here, but this is America. We've got the RIAA, MPAA, not to mention all the lobbying to be done in DC. I mean, those Native Americans don't rip themselves off, eh? Plus, we've got so many laws on the book that someone, somewhere isn't doing something right, and who gets to prosecute?

    Lawyer 131236716723: Lawyers?

    Lawyer 216421934614: And who gets to defend?

    Lawyer 131236716723: Lawyers!

    Lawyer 216421934614: And who gets to judge?

    Lawyer 131236716723: Former lawyers elected by other lawyers!

    Lawyer 216421934614: And who makes the law?

    Lawyer 131236716723: Former lawyers who have even less ethical concerns than other lawyers, lobbied by lawyers! Thanks, Bill... I was starting to worry!

  5. Re:Um, Exposing a problem is not CREATING a proble by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The judge was an idiot - what this guy did was just a new twist on the old "send them a bill and hope they pay at" scam.

    A man who accessed the Reserve Bank's telephone systems to find security weak spots then billed the bank for his unsolicited services told the Wellington District Court he was surprised when police questioned him about his actions.

    Gerasimos Macridis, 39, a researcher, represented himself in court before Judge Ian Mill.

    Macridis pleaded guilty to one charge of intentionally accessing a computer system knowing he was not authorised to do so.

    Police prosecutor Colin McGilivray told the court Macridis had telephoned the Reserve Bank on May 30, introducing himself as a security consultant.

    He outlined problems with the bank's telephone system, then requested payment for providing the information. He also contacted Telecom and asked for payment, outlining testing he had conducted, vulnerabilities he had found and ways these could be fixed.

    This is the same sort of scam that boiler-room ops do all the time - sending bills for unsolicited ad space in non-existent magazines, etc.

    The guy is scum. The judge was out to lunch on this one.

    Lets put it in terms slashdotters can understand ... someone does a pen test of your web site, and sends you a description of what they found, plus a bill for their unsolicited :advice" ... even though you didn't ask them to try to do any penetration testing and you never heard of them before ...

    Or someone tries to break into your house, then sends you a description of all the "security weaknesses" they found, plus a bill for their time.

    Just because its a phone system doesn't make it any less an attempted con job.