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20 Years For Gonzalez In TJX Hacker Case

Posted by Soulskill on from the see-you-when-we-have-flying-cars dept.

alphadogg writes "Hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday in US District Court to two concurrent 20-year stints in prison for his role in what prosecutors called the 'unparalleled' theft of millions of credit card numbers from major US retailers. US District Court Judge Patti B. Saris announced the concurrent sentences in two 2008 cases against Gonzalez, 28, a Cuban-American who was born in Miami, where he lived when the crimes were committed. Gonzalez and co-conspirators hacked into computer systems and stole credit card information from TJX, Office Max, DSW and Dave and Buster's, among other online retail outlets, in one of the largest — if not the largest — cybercrime operations targeting that sort of data thus far. They then sold the numbers to other criminals. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in two cases related to those thefts last December and the following day entered a guilty plea in a third case involving hacking into computer networks of Heartland Payment Systems and the Hannaford Supermarkets and 7-Eleven chains."

62 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. You got my hopes up by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Funny

    I misread the first line as "Alberto Gonzalez".

    One can still dream though.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  2. In most countries..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You'll get less for murder.

    1. Re:In most countries..... by CSHARP123 · · Score: 1

      In today's world, if your identity is compromised like this, people will go bankrupt very easily. That in majority of cases bring peoples life to stand still. They have to go through hell to fix the problem. He deserves what he got. Let him rot in jail.

    2. Re:In most countries..... by tpstigers · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Exactly! And thanks for pointing it out. Credit card theft and identity theft are two VERY different things, a fact that seems to escape most people. Probably because the people who sell 'insurance' against identity theft want us to confuse them.

    3. Re:In most countries..... by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      You'll get less for murder.

      OT sort of. This last week there was a guy in VA who was sentenced in an online pedophile chat room incident. It was the usual police sting where the guy *thought* he was chatting to a teenage girl, but never actually did. His sentence .. 100 years. My first thought was that it just made abducting and murdering teenage girls less risky than thinking you were chatting with them online

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    4. Re:In most countries..... by elnyka · · Score: 1

      In *america* world, if your identity is compromised like this, people will go bankrupt very easily. That in majority of cases bring peoples life to stand still. They have to go through hell to fix the problem. He deserves what he got. Let him rot in jail.

      Fixed that for you.

      How insightful.

    5. Re:In most countries..... by omarius · · Score: 1

      Um, I'm fairly sure that in VA the penalty for what you describe is death. I suppose it's debatable whether that's preferable to 100 years in prison.

    6. Re:In most countries..... by fafaforza · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Right, because the rest of the world isn't structuring their financial environment just like the US. No other country uses credit and credit ratings, computerized history files, complex financial vehicles like CDOs, etc. Iceland, Greece, Portugal and others aren't in a world of hurt right now because of the very same get rich schemes the bankers in the US perpetrated.

      But hey, if wearing anti-US filters on your eyes makes you feel superior about the country you live in, then I say live and let live.

    7. Re:In most countries..... by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You'll get less for murder.

      Most murders are committed in the heat of passion by mentally unbalanced people. This guy rationally and knowingly RUINED many people's lives. He can rot in prison for all I care.

    8. Re:In most countries..... by yacc143 · · Score: 1

      Well Portugal and Greece are in troubles because they spend more than they take in.

      Plus especially Greece lied a decade about their numbers.

    9. Re:In most countries..... by couchslug · · Score: 1

      The nature of his crime means he can easily repeat it if released. The solution is not to release him.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    10. Re:In most countries..... by HansKloss · · Score: 1

      and somehow Goldman Sachs was their financial advisor

    11. Re:In most countries..... by saleenS281 · · Score: 1

      So why are the floor traders at enron and most of wallstreet still walking around in public? They knowingly RUINED the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, not just "many".

  3. So by zoomshorts · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Heartland claimed that no merchant data, cardholder's Social Security numbers, or unencrypted personal identification numbers (PIN), addresses or telephone numbers were compromised. "

    So where is the crime if nothing was compromised?

    1. Re:So by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 4, Informative

      So where is the crime if nothing was compromised?

      I know reading the link is frowned upon in here, but the actual credit card numbers were lifted. Plus (FTA), "It also appears that those behind the breach "made off with the gold" by intercepting and stealing the so-called Track 2 data from the magnetic stripe on the back of cards, which is all that's needed to create counterfeit cards"

    2. Re:So by sonic_assault · · Score: 1

      The crime is that he did something that is blatantly illegal. He illegally breeched that companies systems. The consequences of people's actions aren't so simple. There may be no 'visible' harm, but you don't hear the story of their IT staff having to work overtime to resolve that breech and the money that company spent to do it. You can justify it by saying the man was helping further their security by showing them a weakness, but that justification fails when he did it to take advantage of them.

      --
      Dress for success AND excess.
    3. Re:So by Smallpond · · Score: 1

      Gonzalez is evidently charged with not only the Heartland case, but also the TJX break-in from 2007.

  4. Explain Concurrent sentences Please by hanabal · · Score: 1

    What's the logic behind concurrent sentences. 2 concurrent 20 year sentences is for all intents and purposes the same as one 20 year sentence. SO he basically got away with one of the crimes with no punishment. If its because 40 years for these 2 crimes is too harsh, then logically 20 years is too harsh for 1 and the law needs to be changed. Can someone explain the logic to me

    1. Re:Explain Concurrent sentences Please by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      What's the logic behind concurrent sentences.

      Your question prompted me to google and I found concurrent vs consecutive sentences. It seems that it is up t the judge to decide how to sentence someone based on touchy feely concepts of their prior history. IE if they were previously good before committing 2 separate crimes then they might get concurrent sentences. If they are bad people then they might get consecutive sentences.

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    2. Re:Explain Concurrent sentences Please by eudas · · Score: 2, Informative

      Hmm, some brief googling turns up a page which appears to offer a decent answer:
      http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/71874/concurrent_vs_consecutive_sentences.html?cat=17

      --
      Blessed is he who expects the worst, for he shall not be disappointed.
    3. Re:Explain Concurrent sentences Please by Smallpond · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What's the logic behind concurrent sentences. 2 concurrent 20 year sentences is for all intents and purposes the same as one 20 year sentence. SO he basically got away with one of the crimes with no punishment. If its because 40 years for these 2 crimes is too harsh, then logically 20 years is too harsh for 1 and the law needs to be changed. Can someone explain the logic to me

      What happens if one of the two cases gets reversed on appeal? You want him to go free?

  5. Re:This sparks an interesting idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    To make it super duper honest, you could set up a "Pinky Swear Authority" that will ensure all the developers are trusted. I nominate myself as the Root.

  6. Parallel Sentencing by organgtool · · Score: 1

    Hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday in US District Court to two concurrent 20-year stints in prison for his role in what prosecutors called the 'unparalleled' theft of millions of credit card numbers from major US retailers.

    If I was Albert Gonzalez, I would have asked for 480 concurrent 1-month sentences instead. Then when the judge finalized the sentence, I'd show him the definition of the word "concurrent".

    1. Re:Parallel Sentencing by Smallpond · · Score: 1

      Hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday in US District Court to two concurrent 20-year stints in prison for his role in what prosecutors called the 'unparalleled' theft of millions of credit card numbers from major US retailers.

      If I was Albert Gonzalez, I would have asked for 480 concurrent 1-month sentences instead. Then when the judge finalized the sentence, I'd show him the definition of the word "concurrent".

      Then the crime wouldn't be 'unparalleled', would it? Besides, the judge could just add a mutex to each sentence so they end up being sequential anyway.

  7. TJX Case by Virtucon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What's missing here is the fact that TJX didn't take reasonable precautions to protect the data.

    They already coughed up $41m to Visa and the FTC received a chunk of change from them as well.

    The only way these kinds of thefts will be stopped is if these companies get serious about protecting Credit Card and Personal information. While PCI goes a long way in trying to address the Credit Card side of things, the Personal Information problem is still looming. We need tougher laws that make companies who gather sensitive information, SSNs etc. fully accountable when theft of the data in their possession occurs.

    All in all, I still bet this guy has about $10m buried someplace but still 20 years of your life is a very stiff sentence considering a plea bargain as well.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:TJX Case by coolmoose25 · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think the reason he got a stiff sentence (midway between the 15-25 sentencing guideline) was that he got caught TWICE for the same crime. After getting caught the first time, he turned informant, even collecting a $75k salary from the Feds. Meanwhile, he went back to his fraudulent activities and started working an even bigger crime than the one he was originally busted for, and under the Feds noses at that... Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and I'll throw the book at you.

      --
      Brawndo: It's what plants crave!
    2. Re:TJX Case by Aldenissin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I second this! TJX used default passwords and several other bad practices and kept on once they knew they had a problem. Had they taken the public's data security seriously, this guy would likely never had been able to do what he did here.

          When you can sit outside and type Username: (Name of manager inside) and Password: admin, wirelessly and then get credit card data from the registers which is not supposed to be stored, then yes it is YOUR fault that this happened as well. Especially when those same registers are linked directly to the main servers with surprise, default passwords!

        If I open the door and tell everyone come get this other persons shit, then I am liable as well. It is sad that TJX isn't in this case. I have even heard of someone in my area who were able to trace their trouble to TJX, as they rarely used the card. I asked if they shopped there and yup, that was the only place they had used the card in since the beginning of the year before that.

      --
      Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
    3. Re:TJX Case by Jawn98685 · · Score: 1

      Disclosure: I was one of the victims of this breach. Happily, my bank caught it and called to ask if it was really me who'd bought those gift cards at Wal-Mart.

      mod parent + insightful, for truer words were never spoken. Seriously, someone should have gone to jail for being so negligent with sensitive information like that, and no, it almost certainly was not anyone whose job it was to see to such things. It was, most likely, someone with budget control over that department who "...didn't see the value in being so paranoid about security..." Look, TJX is still in business, so $41 million probably didn't hurt enough to make that a lesson that would be learned by other businesses. If the negligence had ruined TJX, and landed some VP asses in jail, things would be different. But it didn't, and they're still not.
      Maybe there should be a "terms and conditions" document that business, hospitals, anyone who collects and stores sensitive information, should have to sign each time the collect such information, acknowledging their responsibility to safeguard it. Maybe "putting it in writing" every time they add to the database would at least make the legal department take notice.

    4. Re:TJX Case by russotto · · Score: 1

      I second this! TJX used default passwords and several other bad practices and kept on once they knew they had a problem. Had they taken the public's data security seriously, this guy would likely never had been able to do what he did here.

      Usually when this argument is raised it's when someone just used a default password, looked around the system, maybe even informed the operator, and got prosecuted for it. That isn't the case here... doesn't matter if the door's ajar, that's still not an excuse for going in and walking off with the jewelery and electronics.

      If I open the door and tell everyone come get this other persons shit, then I am liable as well. It is sad that TJX isn't in this case. I have even heard of someone in my area who were able to trace their trouble to TJX, as they rarely used the card. I asked if they shopped there and yup, that was the only place they had used the card in since the beginning of the year before that.

      If you have someone else's physical item in your possession, you might be civilly liable if it gets stolen if you didn't take ordinary precautions to prevent it, but you won't go to jail. In this case, due to the law it's the credit card companies who are on the hook (and they tend to push it back on the merchants who accepted the stolen cards and numbers). Maybe they could sue TJX, but it wouldn't be worth it, particularly as I'm sure TJX is a major customer. Maybe they'll insist TJX let them audit their systems in the future.

    5. Re:TJX Case by captaindomon · · Score: 2, Informative

      TJX was not in compliance with PCI-DSS, even though they said they were. Thus the fines from Visa. PCI-DSS has issues of course, but if they followed it correctly they would not have suffered this intrusion.

      --
      Just because I can hook a shark from a boat, I do no offer to wrestle it in the water.
    6. Re:TJX Case by bangthegong · · Score: 1

      What's missing here is the fact that TJX didn't take reasonable precautions to protect the data.

      Looks like you're the kinda guy that blames rape victims for dressing too sexy.

      Nonsense. Companies have an actual legal and contractual obligation to protect the data of their customers and the banks they do business with. Whether TJX took proper precautions is debatable but it's not even close to the same thing as blaming the victim. The real victims here are the credit card holders who trusted TJX when they bought some clothes or whatever not to leave their personal info open to hackers stealing 11 million credit card numbers. Those people (and the credit card banks) are suing TJX for damages under multiple class action cases.

    7. Re:TJX Case by sjames · · Score: 1

      PCI does nothing at all compared to what COULD be done using the technology we already have available.

      Consider if a credit card with a smart chip signed the transactions. Customer uses personal interface to authorize a charge. POS then presents a charge record complete with their merchant account number and if it is no more than authorized, the smart chip assigns it a serial number and signs it. Merchant presents the signed charge to CC company.

      At that point, it doesn't matter in the least if someone grabs a copy of the transaction. Without the signature, the rest of the info is worthless but with it, it can only be processed once and it goes into the merchant's account.

    8. Re:TJX Case by fafaforza · · Score: 2, Interesting

      TJX may have not been in compliance with PCI, but if you left your house door unlocked to go to the corner store real quick, and someone ripped off your jewelty (or whatever you hold dear), you'd still want them punished. And even though you'd have laid some of the blame on yourself and learned a lesson, you'd still want the scumbag thief to face the music of committing the crime.

    9. Re:TJX Case by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      Part of demonstrating compliance is the Audit Process. If TJX had an audit, the auditor at this point would be part of the problem and possibly subject to litigation and damages. The problem though is that the PCI-DSS fines didn't start kicking in until a couple of years ago, so TJX could have been working on PCI-DSS and not have completed there work.

      It's a tough problem, for example, When I was working for a large airline, we couldn't get around to upgrading their WLAN infrastructure to be PCI-DSS compliant. Why? The funding folks wouldn't approve the money (about $2M at the time) and constantly haggled the project team down. All that going back and forth cost almost two years. They finally are finishing their work last I heard, but the final driver wasn't about PCI-DSS directly, it was the indirect threat of fines and increased processing fees that finally got management's attention.

      Silly? Yes, but that's the way business operates.
         

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    10. Re:TJX Case by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      I think your analogy needs refinement.

      1) Neighbor Asks you to watch their kid.
      2) You agree, and watch them.
      3) then you go to the store and leave the front door open.
      4) You come back and the kid is gone.
      5) Your neighbor is pissed but you just shrug your shoulders
      6) Police give you a misdemeanor citation

      Yes you still want the kidnapper prosecuted but you had direct culpability in the loss of the child. You were supposed to look after them but you didn't, in some places that will wind you up in jail. But since this is "property" and "money" changed hands with the Visa (via merchant agreements) and the FTC (by loose tenets of law) everybody's happy right? Except all of those who had to deal with the ID theft. I think there still should have been a class action suit against TJX by those affected instead of the "one day sale" they had to say they were sorry.

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    11. Re:TJX Case by Angst+Badger · · Score: 1

      What's missing here is the fact that TJX didn't take reasonable precautions to protect the data.

      Fully agreed. Until there's some serious liability for mis- and non-feasance when it comes to customer data, there's no incentive for these bozos to clean up their act.

      All in all, I still bet this guy has about $10m buried someplace but still 20 years of your life is a very stiff sentence considering a plea bargain as well.

      Here I'd disagree. This is being treated as a single offense, but it's actually an offense against millions of victims. If the sentence was proportionate to the offense, this guy would never see daylight again.

      --
      Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
    12. Re:TJX Case by gcatullus · · Score: 1

      I agree that companies need to safeguard credit card data, but Visa/Mastercard doesn't even have something as simple as chip and pin for cards in the US.

      PCI is a broken system, in that the cartel reaping all the benefits has no risk and foists off the responsibility for protecting card data to the merchant processors who get practically nothing, and then down to the merchants who are PAYING for the privelege of taking credit cards. Visa/Mastercard could and should develop a more secure system, but they won't because they don't have to. Interchange is defended as a cost for originating the credit cards, but why then is it as high in the US as when we still used knuckle busters to process and microfiche to track down stolen cards. I agree hold them accountable, but hold the right people accountable

  8. what the hell? by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "a Cuban-American who was born in Miami"

    meaning: he's an american. he's born here, right?

    so what's the fucking point of saying he's CUBAN-american? cuban-americans are more prone to cybercrime? what the hell is the significance of saying he's CUBAN-american. oh, a "real" american would never engage in cybercrime? what's that? an irish-american? an italian-american? when an irish-american robs a bank, do we say describe the crime, the sentencing and the criminal as "An Irish-American who was born in Philadelphia". why is that significant information? it's not, it's a racist smear

    oh, it all makes sense now- he's a CUBAN-american: this is important information to relay in the story summary when describing the criminal and the crime

    racist fucking bullshit

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:what the hell? by nycguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      so what's the fucking point of saying he's CUBAN-american?

      Maybe the author didn't want you to think that Gonzalez is a MEXICAN-american...

    2. Re:what the hell? by thijsh · · Score: 1

      Maybe so, but "american" even less...
      I'm amazed by the amount of trouble americans go trough to sound PC (like 'african-american' and 'native-american') but in my opinion it only sounds more racist, especially when used in news items like this.

    3. Re:what the hell? by SirGarlon · · Score: 1

      I wish you could express outrage without resorting to the F-bomb, but yeah.

      --SirGarlon, a Polish-English-Dutch-American born in New York

      --
      [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
    4. Re:what the hell? by DerekLyons · · Score: 2, Insightful

      racist fucking bullshit

      Nah, its politically correct bullshit. The media has been bitten too often by failing to mention the $NONAMERICAN identifier that many American's think of themselves as, that they now do it reflexively.
       
      In the local paper's websites comment section - I've seen the $NONAMERICAN's bitch and moan and try to have it both ways. If the paper mentions a $NONAMERICAN was drunk and caused an accident, they bitch (as you do) that the paper is racist for implying $NONAMERICAN's are drunks. But let a $NONAMERICAN be positively mentioned (Say, winning a local business award) and they bitch about the paper being racist if they fail to mention the subject is a $NONAMERICAN.

    5. Re:what the hell? by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      Especially when said African American isn't from Africa nor are a few generations of their parents before them. At some point you're simply just American. Saying a black person has black skin shouldn't be considered offensive as you're just stating the obvious. Thank god at my work we don't have this PC problem.

    6. Re:what the hell? by mapkinase · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's racist only if you say African-American or Jewish.

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    7. Re:what the hell? by master_p · · Score: 1

      It's just like calling someone Afro-American, although he or she might have never been or linked to Africa in any way.

    8. Re:what the hell? by thijsh · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it's arbitrary. People think it's 'obvious' that they are Americans because their family has been living there for 6 generations, but a random black person is not really american why? Because their skin looks a little like an African? By this reasoning you could very well call Americans with the syndrome of down 'Mongolian-Americans' because their eyes look slightly similar (note: in the Netherlands 'mongool' is old slang for a person with down syndrome)...

      The fact to remember is: All Americans are immigrants, the only difference is who came first. You can find some really nice info on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States, for example:
      - The peak year of European immigration was in 1907 (only one century ago). So the average white American family (basically all 'European-Americans') has been in America for roughly 4-5 generations.
      - The peak of slavery was in the early 1800s (almost 2 centuries ago). The average descendants of actual African slaves ('African-American') have been in America 8-10 generations.

      On average a random african-american is more likely a 'real' American than the European-American, very arbitrary indeed.
      I hope everyone realizes this stupidity and just stops with these labels, especially the *-American, what it means to be an American is to be born and live in the land, it has no other significance and there sure as hell is no 'American race'.

    9. Re:what the hell? by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      There are those who wish to retain their ethnic heritage. Those people are then not just Americans but chinese-American or African-American. Of course worth noting that all African-Americans I have encountered were white and from South Africa.

      Bottom line is I think we agree on, it is no politically correct to call a black person African American just because of the color of their skin. If they are from Africa directly then it's fair because its based on knowing something personal about them.

  9. Better than, "Your little Mexican friend." by Aldenissin · · Score: 1

    I'm not Mexican yo! I'm Cuban, B.

    "Ah yes, Cuban B!"

    --
    Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
    1. Re:Better than, "Your little Mexican friend." by LanMan04 · · Score: 1

      "Right near da beach. BOYEEEE!"

      Man I haven't seen that movie in ages.

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
  10. I think the sentence is wrong :) by davidwr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Don't give him 2 20-year concurrent sentences.

    Give him a misdemeanor sentence of several hours per victim, stacked, then throw in a couple of felony charges with concurrent sentences so he'll have a felony record.

    It amounts to the same amount of time, but when someone looks at his rap sheet he'll see millions of convictions on his record.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:I think the sentence is wrong :) by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 1

      Don't give him 2 20-year concurrent sentences.

      Give him a misdemeanor sentence of several hours per victim, stacked, then throw in a couple of felony charges with concurrent sentences so he'll have a felony record.

      It amounts to the same amount of time, but when someone looks at his rap sheet he'll see millions of convictions on his record.

      That means they'd have to try and convict him on millions of charges. The paperwork for that alone would kill the court system. Imagine having to read the ruling at the decision hearing. It'd take weeks.

      --
      You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  11. TJ Maxx Slogan by corruptblitz · · Score: 1

    "You get the max (sentance) for the minimum at TJ Maxx!"

  12. Self Defined as Cuban American - mayhaps by realsilly · · Score: 1

    Maybe he declared himself a Cuban American. In Miami, the Cuban population, whether born here or not, are relatively proud of their Cuban Heritage, and often refer to themselves as Cuban Americans. Being a Floridian, I'm accutely aware of the self imposed distinctions often made by those people who are of Cuban descent.

    --
    Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
  13. way to go FBI by cats-paw · · Score: 1

    Now, how are those financial investigations of Wall St coming along ?

    --
    Absolute statements are never true
  14. dude by circletimessquare · · Score: 3, Funny

    you're born in new york fucking city and you're fucking complaining about dropping the fucking f-bomb?

    fuck!

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  15. i actually agree with you by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    the issue is blind pride

    people are prideful about things they shouldn't be proudful of

    the only valid source of pride in this world is that you are an ethical HUMAN BEING

    but if you are proud of being an {INSERT RACIAL/ NATIONALISTIC/ RELIGIOUS CHAUVINIST IDENTIFIER} you begin the process of talking about "us" versus "them", and, in your blind silly pride, actually wind up being the source of pretty much all the problems we have in this world

    its getting better, very slowly but surely. someday, in the distant future, there will be less wars and less strife and all because people just think about each other as human beings, nothing more, nothing less. it will take a lot of effort to get there, but we are actually moving in that direction, oh ever so slowly

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  16. why? by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    who cares either way?

    if he's born here, he's an american. end of fucking story. his parents were mexican? they were cuban? they were polish? they were indian? what's the fucking difference?

    yes, i know, to SOME people the difference matters. and for those of you for whom identifying whether or not he's mexican or cuban is important, you're a racist asshole, EVEN IF you are the same ethnic background

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  17. Free Kevin Mitnick! by shadowfaxcrx · · Score: 1

    Oh, wait. . .Deja vu.

    --
    "I disagree with you" does not equal "flamebait."
  18. I loved his defense! by peter303 · · Score: 1

    Defense lawyers said he should get off because he was ill with Asperger's syndrome. That would be a "free get of jail card" for half of us here (at least me).

  19. Re:This sparks an interesting idea by Smallpond · · Score: 1

    This has already been done. It's selinux, and the NSA swears that it's really, really secure and that they don't know of any back doors in it.

  20. Re: What's the point? by thomst · · Score: 1

    so what's the fucking point of saying he's CUBAN-american?

    It's not racism - it's an allusion to his cigar-rolling skills!

    --
    Check out my novel.
  21. How can you have a fair trial? Illegal trial. by NSN+A392-99-964-5927 · · Score: 1

    I have stated this for the past Twenty Years and I will reiterate this all over again. You cannot have a fair trial without a Jury of IT experts. Even the Judge cannot Judge properly if he is not an IT expert. How do you expect a fair trial? Well you just do not do you? it is fucking pathetic and a travesty when people on the Jury's expertise is Windows, Internet Explorer, MSN/Windows Live and cannot even secure their own systems that are full of frigging malware and spyware. Seriously I am furious, and I have earned the right to protest about this since using computers since 1978. If I were the laywer, I would purely appeal this conviction based on the fact "The jury were not able to make a rational decision as they could not comprehend the evidence in hand". It will be quite easy to pressurise the prosecution lawyer into a corner, the judge, jury and DA with some simple questions of what is an IP or what is the IP address of The District Attorney's website then DNS and Nameservers. You see these people cannot answer these questions, let alone know how to set up RDNS, MX records etc. I feel most of you are being unfair regarding this trial and pre-judging like a "kangaroo court" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_court It is a friggin mess. Just put yourself in this guys shoes for one moment, you will realise if it were you in the dock, you would feel aggrevied. I do not care if this post escalates my karma to bad, but what do you expect? /MOTD Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. Or as Alan Roberts always told me RSM from Queens Lancashire Regiment; Never under estimate stupid people in government, 80% of them are corrupt with invested interests, put them on the frontline as fighting soldiers and see who is truly brave! R.I.P AR RSM you will be missed but not forgotten =)

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