AOL Security Compromised by Teenager

Freaky_Friday wrote with a link to an InfoWorld article about a teenage kid accessing customer information at AOL. The alleged criminal trespass began late last year, and extended up through early April. According to the article, the guy used some 'off-the-shelf' hacking software he downloaded online to gain access to, and then transmit information from, AOL's systems. "The complaint states that Nieves admitted to investigators that he committed the alleged acts because AOL took away his accounts. 'I accessed their internal accounts and their network and used it to try to get my accounts back,' the defendant is quoted as saying in the complaint. He also admitted to posting photos of his exploits in a photo Web site, according to the complaint ... If the defendant was honest about his motivation in his reported confession, it's safe to assume that he wasn't interested in stealing data for financial gain, [Managing director of technology at FTI Consulting Mark] Rasch said. Still, it'll be interesting to find out what steps AOL is taking if customer data was in fact compromised, he said."

Comments

Hmmm

[NightWulf]

Kid must be pretty smart if he was able to hack AOL's servers. *Reads article* Ohhhhh to get his account back...hmm forget it.

This is news?

[Zeebs]

I mean I won't even go with the obvious AOL bashing. But is it really news that Teens are committing computer crime? Isn't that the stereotype? The pimple faced dateless wonder in his parents basement 'pwning' the 'g1bs0n'?

Re:This is news?

[j_presper_eckert]

I heard that he was attempting to send some obscure command to the AOL servers: "Execute Order 66".

For his age-frame, I think he'd have been better off trying to go three integers higher.

Of course, for that you have to leave the basement eventually. Gotta leave that womb-like comfort to obtain...uh...some *other*...womb-like comfort...oh, never mind.

Re:This is news?

[fafalone]

Well, the fact that this is news can mean only one thing; AOL has massively overhauled their security system and now has state of the art, well designed, and highly effective security. Because the AOL I remember had its security severely compromised by teenagers several times a day. Serious breaches too, read my other post in this thread. It happened so incredibly often, there's no way a breach would be national news. So logically, if its now rare enough to be newsworthy, they must have stopped the endless onslaught of easily exploited holes...
...because a journalist would never just write up a non-story to insult AOL or do some "omg haxors" fearmongering... never...

Off the shelf hacked software?

[Anonymous Coward]

According to the article, the guy used some 'off-the-shelf' hacking software he downloaded online to gain access to, and then transmit information from, AOL's systems.

I've never heard of AOL software referred to like that before. Sure I was thinking it.

I remember...

[firpecmox]

I tried to hack someone once but that damn 127.0.0.1 was behind a firewall and it just messed up my computers

Why?

[flyingfsck]

If he had internet access already, why on earth would want an AOL account? Just a schtoopidttt script kiddie...

This is news?

[Bob Cat - NYMPHS]

Who DIDN'T own AOL when they were a teenager?

In other news...

[thib_gc]

Other shocking headlines: "Ape defeats security of Diebold voting machines"

AOL, so easy to hack

[Khyber]

No wonder it's #1!!!