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Police swoop on 'Hacker of the Year'

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the according-to-who-exactly dept.

AcidAUS writes "The Swedish hacker, Dan Egerstad, who perpetrated the so-called hack of the year, has been arrested in a dramatic raid on his apartment, during which he was taken in for questioning and several of his computers confiscated. Egerstad broke into the global communications network used by embassies around the world in August and gained access to 1000 sensitive email accounts."

24 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. "Broke in?" by Evangelion · · Score: 5, Insightful


    I thought he just listened in on Tor traffic.

    1. Re:"Broke in?" by hsdpa · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He did, and that's what's so stupid about this police-raid.

      --
      :(){ :|:& }:;
    2. Re:"Broke in?" by TigerTime · · Score: 5, Funny

      There's a guy down the street from where I work that had a bullhorn talking about the end of the world. I completely hacked into his message this morning.

  2. Well, that's what you get by Lally+Singh · · Score: 5, Funny

    90% of what makes a really good hack hard is STFU'ing about it.

    --
    Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
    1. Re:Well, that's what you get by luvirini · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That is the point authohorities all over the world seem to be making... Do not report Security flaws.

      If you notice a security flaw and are quiet about it nothing happens.

      If you notice a securoty flaw and report it you get charged for hacking.

      Guess what happens in future...

    2. Re:Well, that's what you get by Praedon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      There was an article a while back on slashdot, that mentioned about this guy who found a way to duplicate boarding passes for an airline... before he published the information to the internet, he contacted his congressman, which did nothing about it.. but then published how to do it, and the template to the internet. He was then considered a "terrorist" and I have heard nothing more about him.

      --
      Just me
    3. Re:Well, that's what you get by _14k4 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I think the "sellout" part of those hackers is actually the part that grew up and realized (real - as mentioned above)hacking is not a way to support a family - and it will always be a hobby. As it should be, no?

    4. Re:Well, that's what you get by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      And what did we learn today? Don't report a security hole, sell it to Russia.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re:Well, that's what you get by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, but of people with a one track mind. He who knows how to break the law breaks the law, since if he didn't mean to break the law, he wouldn't know how to do it. He who finds a security hole must have been looking for a security hole, and the only reason to look for a security hole is to use it.

      Another train of thought follows the logic that what is forbidden does not exist. And if it exists, simply crack down with utmost force on it, and it ceases to exist.

      The core fallacy about it is that this doesn't mean crimes don't happen, it just means you won't hear about them. Which is, for the statistic, identical. It's a bit like closing your eyes and pretending that since you can't see the problem it doesn't exist.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:Well, that's what you get by bytesex · · Score: 4, Interesting

      A bit too paranoid. He was told to shut up about it, but nothing happened to him. It was a journalist who'd found out that if you made two boarding passes at home, one in his own name (not conspicuous) and one in the name of Osama Bin Laden, and you switched bottom barcodes on them, you could get Osama on the plane. Or something. Apparently, the two barcodes are read at different stations, and only the first one checks for identity (but not the no fly list), and the second one checks for the no fly list (but not the identity). Or something.

      --
      Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
    7. Re:Well, that's what you get by boyfaceddog · · Score: 5, Funny

      You can't really blame the governments for their response. Most agencies are only authorized to punish citizens, not ask them for help.

      Remember the Air Force Axiom; when the only tool you have is a multi-warhead thermo-nuclear ICBM, all your problems look like the Soviets invading West Germany.

      --
      Here will be an old abusing of God's patience and the king's English.
  3. It was just tor eavesdropping! by sanermind · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All he did was run a tor exit node, and observe the outgoing traffic, a known possibility when using tor. Not only is there the disclaimer "This is experimental software. Do not rely on it for strong anonymity" evertime you run tor, but this vector of potential attack is so bloody obvious that anyone not aware of would be a bloody idiot not to use additional encryption for accessing sensitive information on the other end, and rely on tor only for obfuscation of the fact that the route originates from them.

    --

    ---
    the pen is mightier than the sword, the sword is mightier than the court, the court is mightier than the pen.
    1. Re:It was just tor eavesdropping! by KokorHekkus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      All he did was run a tor exit node, and observe the outgoing traffic...
      And that could very likely be construed as eavesdropping on electronic communications. The Swedish penal code, 4th chapter, 8th paragraph, says:

      8 Den som olovligen bereder sig tillgång till ett meddelande, som ett post- eller telebefordringsföretag förmedlar som postförsändelse eller telemeddelande, döms för brytande av post- eller telehemlighet till böter eller fängelse i högst två år.
      Which translates to approximatly:

      The person who gains access to a message, that a postal or telecommunications company transmits, as a postal or telecommuncations message, is to be sentened for exposure of postal or telecommuncations secret to fines or a maximum of two years prison.
      Swedish laws are a bit laconic so that's the full text. I'm not really surprised that the police decide to start an investigation since what he did could be legal - it's not a clear cut case. Obviously the message were not ment for him and he didn't come by them by accident. Word to the wise: better read up on the laws where are if you're going to pull something like this. If it's in the gray area be prepared to investigated.
  4. Re:Good. by spleen_blender · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And my faith in humanity drops to yet another record low.

    I'm getting sick of a society that has ZERO room for exceptions. Make exceptions for the exceptional... that is why they are exceptional.

    Although listening to TOR traffic is hardly exceptional, but the point he proved without malicious intent was.

  5. Access credentials were sent through his node! by JackHoffman · · Score: 5, Informative

    broke into the global communications network used by embassies around the world in August and gained access to 1000 sensitive email accounts

    He acquired access credentials to 1000 email accounts used by embassies. He did so by becoming an exit node of the TOR anonymizing network and reading the unencrypted exit traffic. That may have been in violation of the law, but does not constitute "breaking into the global communications network used by embassies".

  6. Re:Good. by Nos. · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Egerstad published 100 of the email accounts, including login details and passwords, on his website for anyone curious enough to have a look"
    Publishing login credentials of 100 accounts isn't what I'd call without malicious intent. Okay, he was trying to force them to react, but there are better ways of doing it.

  7. What a moron! by Pedrito · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Look, I don't know if the guy actually broke any laws. It sounds like he might have, but maybe not. On the other hand, intentionally trying to fuck with the police after they arrested him is plain stupid. It doesn't buy you anything except bad will. It's not like the people interrogating him are the ones that made the decision to arrest him. You get pulled in by the police, if you're really not guilty, the only smart thing to do is cooperate. Creating that kind of bad will and then complaining that you might not get your computer equipment back for years, well what do you expect? Shit on people and expect them to shit on you back.

  8. "Broke into" by dr_d_19 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dan didn't break into anything. He simply set up a Tor node and watches the traffic passing. Most likely the passwords he sniffed out were not used by Embassy officials but by criminal elements who were using Tor to avoid being caught when using stolen credentials.

    Also, he notified the involved embassies weeks before publishing the material.

    I not saying it was a stupid move (I think it was) but the summary makes him look like a criminal which he is most certainly not. The Swedish police does not understand IT and obviously does whatever foreign countries tell them to do since our political leaders lacks spines.

  9. Just what is he? by Billosaur · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the article, paragraph 1:

    The Swedish hacker who perpetrated the so-called hack of the year...

    From the article, paragraph 2:

    Dan Egerstad, a security consultant, intercepted data carried over a global communications network...

    Emphasis mine. So what is he? If he's a hacker, the raid is just desserts. If he's a security consultant, and he's exposed this flaw, he's being persecuted. Frankly, I don't know what he really is, but it seems like the press is schizophrenic on this issue. It just goes to show that when it comes to technology, the mainstream press is a bit low on clarity and high on sensationalism.

    --
    GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
    1. Re:Just what is he? by bcattwoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Emphasis mine. So what is he? If he's a hacker, the raid is just desserts. If he's a security consultant, and he's exposed this flaw, he's being persecuted. Frankly, I don't know what he really is, but it seems like the press is schizophrenic on this issue. It just goes to show that when it comes to technology, the mainstream press is a bit low on clarity and high on sensationalism.

      If a locksmith breaks into your home by picking your locks, he is still a burglar.
  10. Dramatic Raid indeed by Zedrick · · Score: 4, Informative

    I live a few hundred meters from his home, and was woken up that day, not by my useless alarm clock, but by sirens from 7 or 8 police cars heading in the direction of his apartment. From the TFA it seems like the were a bit more discreet when moving in on him, so I guess this was some kind of show of force to intimidate him, and his neighbours. Wouldn't surprise me, considering how the TPB-raid was done.

  11. A dramatic raid... by east+coast · · Score: 5, Funny

    [knock at the door]

    Police: Open this door! Thou art a felon wanted for many counts of villainy against the citizenry of this fair nation!

    Dan: How now!? Am I to be jailed? What can I do but beg for the mercy of The Crown?!?!

    [Dan weeps loudly]
    [Viola music plays a sad song in the background]
    [Dan slumps over a b0x3n]

    Dan: I am ruined. Farewell, my tools of crime, for you are sure to meet a worse fate than I in our common traitorous endeavors.

    [The door breaks in, an officer enters the room and grabs Dan by the shoulder with nightstick in hand]
    [Fades to black]

    Oh, you mean a different kind of dramatic. Sorry, sorry.

    --
    Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
  12. Your good natured intent is clouding your thinking by NDPTAL85 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Diplomats are often dealing with people seeking asylum for humanitarian reasons. They also deal with local and international law enforcement and sometimes the military. In any one of those cases leaked information could have gotten someone killed. This guy didn't expose the logins and passwords of MySpace accounts. Then there's the consideration that he very well may have violated several privacy/confidentiality laws as well.

    I don't think you realize just how serious what this guy did is.

    --
    Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
  13. Re:Good. by celtic_hackr · · Score: 5, Informative

    I won't delineate all the reasons why what you said is a stupid troll.

    But here's a few gems for you.

    1) He became a tor node.
    2) All the data he examined was on his own computers.
    3) Everything on the computers belonged to him.
    4) As a responsible tor node person, he examined the contents of it.
    5) Refer to number 3. Also in the US, he could be found responsible for
          people using his tor node to traffic in say copyrighted works or child
          abuse. So he would really pretty much HAVE to inspect the contrents of
          his traffic to make sure that no illegal activity was taking place.
    6) What law is it you think he broke?