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Convicted VoIP Hacker Robert Moore Speaks

An anonymous reader writes "Convicted hacker Robert Moore, who will report to federal prison this week, gives his version of 'How I Did It' to InformationWeek. Breaking into 15 telecom companies and hundreds of corporations was so easy because most routers are configured with default passwords. "It's so easy a caveman can do it," Moore said. He scanned more than 6 million computers just between June and October of 2005, running 6 million scans on AT&T's network alone. 'You would not believe the number of routers that had "admin" or "Cisco0" as passwords on them,' Moore said. 'We could get full access to a Cisco box with enabled access so you can do whatever you want to the box. We also targeted Mera, a Web-based switch. It turns any computer basically into a switch so you could do the calls through it. We found the default password for it. We would take that and I'd write a scanner for Mera boxes and we'd run the password against it to try to log in, and basically we could get in almost every time. Then we'd have all sorts of information, basically the whole database, right at our fingertips.'"

16 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Geico commercial filming by camperdave · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's so easy a caveman can do it

    So, not only do cavemen work in video production, they do network admin?

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    1. Re:Geico commercial filming by User+956 · · Score: 4, Funny

      "It's so easy a caveman can do it". So, not only do cavemen work in video production, they do network admin?

      No, read more closely. He wasn't talking about cavemen in general. He was talking about one particular caveman.

      --
      The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    2. Re:Geico commercial filming by beckerist · · Score: 2, Funny

      As a caveman script kiddie, I take offense to that statement!

  2. Obligatory... by Stormwatch · · Score: 4, Funny

    "So the combination is one, two, three, four, five? That's the stupidest combination I've ever heard in my life! The kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage!"

    1. Re:Obligatory... by Zymergy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Remind me to change the combination to my luggage!

  3. he should study more (or moore) by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Convicted hacker Robert Moore, who will report to federal prison this week

    Apparently Moore's law isn't quite up to snuff.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  4. At least that "Hacker" actually used some skill. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Maybe not a lot, but more than most of the media's super-hyped so-called "hackers" ever do.

    A few years ago a major New Zealand ISP was "hacked" -- or so the media said. The biggest talkshow host of the time interviewed the alleged "h4x0r" live, and proclaimed him to be a "computer genius". We were all in deadly and imminent danger of being hacked by guys like him he said.

    The "hacker" in question was a 13 year old whose friend's older brother worked for the ISP. The older brother had stupidly given his staff login and password to his kid brother, who had, naturally, shared it with his friend, the "genius hacker". This friend then logged in and deleted a bunch of hosted websites.

    Pretty frikken 1337, huh?

  5. Ridiculous! by cromar · · Score: 2, Funny

    You would not believe the number of routers that had "admin" or "Cisco0" as passwords on them...

    That's ridiculous. Everyone knows the most commonly used passwords are "love," "secret," and "sex." Oh and don't forget "God." It's that whole male ego thing.

    1. Re:Ridiculous! by wilymage · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's got a 28.8 bps modem!

      --
      The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -- Albert Einstein
  6. Re:At least that "Hacker" actually used some skill by WhatAmIDoingHere · · Score: 2, Funny

    So he's a social engineer skript kiddie?

    --
    Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
  7. Damn... by Cornflake917 · · Score: 3, Funny

    That caveman from the Geico commercials was just starting to make progress with his therapist. Let's hope the poor guy doesn't stumble upon this article. This hacker might get a few unexpected prison visits from whiny cavemen.

  8. Re:Random passwords by Solra+Bizna · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just received a modem/router from Verizon for DSL access and they had wireless access preset to a "random" SSID and WEP key which was printed on the modem. Of course, they then went and had the administration account be admin/password.

    That's actually not so bad. In order to get on the wireless network to use the admin password in the first place, they would need to guess your SSID and WEP key. And everyone knows that's impossible, right?

    -:sigma.SB

    --
    WARN
    THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM
  9. Re:Am I missing something? by thatskinnyguy · · Score: 2, Funny

    I believe he more or less falls into the category of a "researcher". You probably could write a master's thesis on the password data/statistics alone!

    --
    The game.
  10. Re:So easy a caveman could do it by lawpoop · · Score: 4, Funny

    What ever happened to the supercool hacking-thang called "not getting caught"? I'm sure it happens all the time; it just never makes the news...

    It could even be happening right now...
    --
    Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
    -- Pablo Picasso
  11. Wow, what a fall from grace... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...after playing James Bond in all those movies.

  12. hacking?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    This isn't hacking, this guy isn't a hacker.

    Are we supposed to be impressed by his elite port scanning abilities?