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Reporters At Black Hat Get Bounced For Hacking

rickb928 and several others have written to inform us that three reporters for the French publication "Global Security Magazine" were booted out of the Black Hat convention for uncovering the login information of other reporters. Quoting the AP: "The separate, wired Internet connections set up for reporters are supposed to be off-limits to hacking and the Wall of Sheep. Even so reporters who didn't take the extra step and log onto the Internet through an additional secure connection like a virtual private network, risked having their data exposed to colleagues sitting just feet away. It didn't appear to be a complicated hack. The network was working properly, but it wasn't set up to shield each journalist's computer from one another."

14 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Did they forget there role? by pauljuno · · Score: 4, Funny

    Did these journalist not understand what their role was at this event? The Wi-Fi connections were free targets and that was understood. The hard-wired connections were off limits to all involved and only for the press, as I understand it. What were they thinking?

    1. Re:Did they forget there role? by MrNaz · · Score: 3, Funny

      I fail at clicking "Post Anonymously".

      --
      I hate printers.
    2. Re:Did they forget there role? by pauljuno · · Score: 2, Funny

      I've already begged forgiveness for this once before. The body of text used the word correctly and the subject line did not. Please forgive me, and if the hague should come calling I will plead guilt.

  2. comma, duh by StuffMaster · · Score: 3, Funny

    Even so reporters who didn't take the extra step and log onto the Internet through an additional secure connection like a virtual private network, risked having their data exposed to colleagues sitting just feet away.

    Even so people who post stories to Slashdot, should learn to use commas.

  3. When in Rome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... hack like Romans hack!

    Seriously, these reporters, they were told where they were going and what they were reporting on, right?

  4. Re:Just use a network switch ya morons! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wonder what lucky guy is overpaying you for network administration.

  5. Re:Two people... by Ortega-Starfire · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes.

    Die, Hacker!

    --
    ---- Liquid was a patriot ----
  6. Re:Not Surprised by Lehk228 · · Score: 5, Funny

    well technically he was bounced for GETTING CAUGHT hacking. there is a difference.

    --
    Snowden and Manning are heroes.
  7. Re:Journalists that hack? by zappepcs · · Score: 1, Funny

    Journalists ARE hacks... right?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_writer

    Come on now. If you are reporting the black hat conference, what better way to show you know what you're reporting on than to hack?

    Personally, despite any failure on the part of the organizers, I think it admirable that they did a 'little' hacking. Perhaps we can get a new "meme that is never spoken"(TM) like male sportscasters all have stupid ties and bad hair and female sportscasters are Playboy bunny wouldhavebeens. Hacking conference reporters are all hackers.

    Amazingly, you'd think that anyone going there would be paranoid enough to try to protect their computers? I don't even trust people at Starbucks, never mind a conference full of hackers? WTF?

    Jokes:
    _Black Hat reporters ARE the news
    _Reporters at Black Hat: news when we recover our data
    _Journalism in America: Booted at Black Hat, Hired by TSA; a day in the life of a journalist
    _Former football player turned journalist: Colbert's nightmare; bears that hack!

    Shall I continue?

    sigh

  8. Re:Many low cost switches... by el+americano · · Score: 5, Funny

    If only their were experts who knew the specification of network switches and how not to expose users to casual snooping, then we could set up a conference where such people get together to share their knowledge of these type of vulnerabilities.

    --
    Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. -Groucho Marx
  9. Re:Two people... by ppanon · · Score: 2, Funny

    ACK THPPPT if person two is Bill the Cat.

    --
    Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde. - Voltaire
  10. Re:Not Surprised by Adriax · · Score: 4, Funny

    The offending journalist was caught when, after stealing the passwords, he stood up and shouted "Yes, I am invincible!" with a bad russian accent.

    --
    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
  11. Reminds me of a demoparty I once attended.. by msgmonkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    where at one point all of a sudden some guy a few rows in front of me shouts out "I was blind but now I can see!" on of those moments only a coder can truely appreciate I guess :)

  12. Re:FP by McGiraf · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just start reading at the second post and do not reply to fist posts, not that hard.. Also The frosty pist at the top of the page tells you your are really on /. and that your DNS has not been hacked and redirected you to some fake ./ site.