Slashdot Mirror


French Hacker Arrested After Bragging On TV

Orome1 writes "A French hacker has effectually tied a noose around his own neck when he bragged about hacking into the systems of a big government contractor on national TV. He participated in a television program called Further investigation, and he said — and demonstrated — that he has gained access to computers belonging to the French Army and Thales Group, a French company that provides information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, and security markets. He was arrested 6 days after the program was aired. The police discovered on his computer a great number of compromised credit card and bank account data."

134 comments

  1. Clever! by __aastpl2241 · · Score: 1

    *Cleverest* hacker in the world!

    1. Re:Clever! by Zemran · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Stunning police work took 6 days to arrest him...

      --
      I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
    2. Re:Clever! by DarkIye · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A certain proportion of hackers are so practised because they were raised by a computer, and as such are quite attention-seeking.

    3. Re:Clever! by sodul · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It was probably the chain of command: nobody decides anything at the lower level especially if it means to do some work, so someone has to decide to do something high up, and then lunch time takes most of the day to get the memo all the way down. The decision to investigate probably came from Thales, not the army or police. I'm from France btw. Last year my brother had rare industrial equipment stollen, we found the guy on local craigslist style ad (picture of said equipment in a kid room), gave the police name, and address of the thief. They did not lift a finger while acknowledging he was indeed the culprit.

    4. Re:Clever! by gutnor · · Score: 3, Insightful
      We can hope that, maybe, they doubled check and some due process had to be done by Justice before authorizing any action. You know the innocent before proving guilty thing, even for an idiot bragging in a pub or on tv.

      But yeah, unfortunately, experience tells me you are probably right being sarcastic.

    5. Re:Clever! by nospam007 · · Score: 1

      If such a moron broke into their servers, the security must be awesome.

    6. Re:Clever! by leswt · · Score: 2

      Actually in France its the other way round (guilty until proven innocent), Napoleonic code

    7. Re:Clever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually in France its the other way round (guilty until proven innocent), Napoleonic code

      Of course, they also still cut the head of murderers and eat rats.... Don't be so ignorant. :-)

    8. Re:Clever! by Svippy · · Score: 1

      Actually in France its the other way round (guilty until proven innocent), Napoleonic code

      Yes, because I am sure that the Fifth French Republic is a direct descendant of the First French Empire.

      --
      Clicked pie.
    9. Re:Clever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Until proven otherwise, yes!

    10. Re:Clever! by sorak · · Score: 1

      It was probably the chain of command: nobody decides anything at the lower level especially if it means to do some work, so someone has to decide to do something high up, and then lunch time takes most of the day to get the memo all the way down. The decision to investigate probably came from Thales, not the army or police. I'm from France btw. Last year my brother had rare industrial equipment stollen, we found the guy on local craigslist style ad (picture of said equipment in a kid room), gave the police name, and address of the thief. They did not lift a finger while acknowledging he was indeed the culprit.

      Did they ever arrest him or was it one of those "meh, what're ya gonna do" responses?

    11. Re:Clever! by rcamans · · Score: 1

      In France you are not innocent until being proven guilty. If you are suspect, you are arrested, jailed, and investigated, in that order.

      --
      wake up and hold your nose
    12. Re:Clever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In France you are not innocent until being proven guilty. If you are suspect, you are arrested, jailed, and investigated, in that order.

      yes, as opposed the the good old US of A, where you are arrested, jailed, tortured, and investigated
      Unless you are a government contractor....then you're given a stern talking to by your congressman over lunch at the club

    13. Re:Clever! by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 1

      In France you are not innocent until being proven guilty. If you are suspect, you are arrested, jailed, and investigated, in that order.

      From the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" :

      "9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law."

      And wikipedia tells us : "According to the preamble of the Constitution of the French Fifth Republic (adopted on 4 October 1958, and the current constitution), the principles set forth in the Declaration have constitutional value. Many laws and regulations have been canceled because they did not comply with those principles as interpreted by the Conseil Constitutionnel ("Constitutional Council of France") or by the Conseil d'État ("Council of State")."

      See also "French Law Presumes Accused Innocent", letter to the editor of the New York Times by Michael H. Davies Prof. of Law, Cleveland State U. Cleveland

      --
      If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
    14. Re:Clever! by daem0n1x · · Score: 1

      He picked his crime very well. If he had committed copyright infringement, Sarkozy would've got him guillotined!

    15. Re:Clever! by BitZtream · · Score: 1

      Yea, we have a constitution in America that gets ignored as well.

      Whats written on paper isn't always what gets done, and yet our population doesn't seem to care :(

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    16. Re:Clever! by Meski · · Score: 1

      Clouseau was on the job.

    17. Re:Clever! by O'Nazareth · · Score: 1

      Until 1994, the penal code was an amended version of Napoleon's penal code. The civil code has not been reformed. We actually call the civil code, "Napoleon's code". The constitution was completely different under the Empire, however.

    18. Re:Clever! by Phoghat · · Score: 1

      Well, it was France. They probably had to finish dinner and a few bottles of vin ordinaire

      --
      Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
  2. Hi, I've committed some crimes... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

    ...but please don't arrest me!

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Hi, I've committed some crimes... by robthebloke · · Score: 1

      Then you should have posted as anon. I'm sending the fuzz over for you now :p

    2. Re:Hi, I've committed some crimes... by yekim · · Score: 1

      How does one find Frosty Piss? (it's a little cold, gov'nor...)

    3. Re:Hi, I've committed some crimes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry you still have SIX days to flee!

  3. happens to everyone by walshy007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    soon as you get away with it enough you get complacent and let your guard down, thinking you are better than other criminals

    1. Re:happens to everyone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No. It really doesn't. Only to the stupid ones.

    2. Re:happens to everyone by Corse32 · · Score: 1

      I would call this something beyond complacency... And also question whether he ever really had his guard "up". I do agree some crims get cocky though, maybe it stems from the same insecurities that drew them to find a lazy method of "making their way" in the first place... Sadly, daddy was right; he really is a useless fuckup at absolutely everything.

    3. Re:happens to everyone by pasv · · Score: 3, Informative

      The trick to being a successful criminal (or so i've read) is to assume that you will be caught and plan ahead: don't brag, have your harddrives encrypted and off when not in use, never use a handle associated with one you box from home, etc. But most importantly don't break anymore laws than you absolutely have to to gain your objective because each one furthers your sentencing. These just seem obvious but as the parent says people let their guard down when they think that no one will ever catch them.

    4. Re:happens to everyone by MokuMokuRyoushi · · Score: 3, Funny

      Clearly, he doesn't have the experience of 1000 hackers.

      --
      Humans are terrible replicators of Godly things.
    5. Re:happens to everyone by Chrisq · · Score: 3, Funny

      The trick to being a successful criminal (or so i've read) is to assume that you will be caught and plan ahead: don't brag, have your harddrives encrypted and off when not in use, never use a handle associated with one you box from home, etc. But most importantly don't break anymore laws than you absolutely have to to gain your objective because each one furthers your sentencing. These just seem obvious but as the parent says people let their guard down when they think that no one will ever catch them.

      I would add to that don't post about the precautions you take on slashdot.

    6. Re:happens to everyone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I got into that mindset of taking precautions, I'm not sure where I would stop.

      This makes me think of the first night I played minecraft on a fairly large server. I was taking every precaution I could think of to protect my stuff and even inventing several on the spot. My wife saw me doing this and thought I lost it. She could not believe how paranoid was that someone was going to take my stuff. It's not paranoid if they are out to get you. She was shocked to see how right I was after my area was broken into 4-5 times that night and next day. But my stuff was safe.

      There are endless precautions you can take with technology and I don't know where I would stop.

    7. Re:happens to everyone by Stellian · · Score: 1

      I could see the perceived value of bragging. Be it ego, respect from other hackers (thus further access), admiration from female hacketes (hey, I said 'perceived') there could be some value an intelligent individual might see in advertising.
      However, if you do go about advertising, some minimal common-sense is required:
        - make it so that the reported does not know or air your personal details; the police shouldn't be able to squeeze it out from him because a reporter has the legal right to protect his sources in most countries
        - make sure you don't admit directly any wrongdoing, say "- Here's an video where a some guy I've met on IRC hacks into NASA servers - Some guy, huh ? - Yup, I don't do that... it would be illegal - Ah.... I see ! (big grin)"
        - make sure you don't keep incriminating evidence laying around, and always expect "the raid"; decent computer hygiene, encryption, digital and physical shredding of anything that might connect you to advertised or past acts of hacking etc.

      Because legislators are morons and don't know the difference between stealing credit cards and hardening your kernel, the above don't apply only to criminals, but any person that's somehow connected to the computer security field. The recent PS3 criminal accusation come to mind.

    8. Re:happens to everyone by robthebloke · · Score: 2

      indeed, it's not surprising he got caught, he was only behind 6 proxies.

    9. Re:happens to everyone by Machtyn · · Score: 1

      The question is if you are taking so many precautions, how long until those combination of precautions trigger a flag somewhere? The idea being "He appears to be hiding something so he *must* be hiding something." (Of course that falls apart when people, en mass, do the same things - such as including a footer in email with all the FBI trigger words - of which I don't do, but have heard about.)

    10. Re:happens to everyone by 10101001+10101001 · · Score: 1

      soon as you get away with it enough you get complacent and let your guard down, thinking you are better than other criminals

      Yep. That quite well explains why there's regular bragging by celebrities on their drug usage on TV and nothing happens. Nah, we just treat hackers different than celebrities than sports stars even though we can already stereotype their likely nefarious actions. And every long once in a while, there's effort to go after people even when they lie to cover their crime.

      In short, it's all pretty well fucked up.

      --
      Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
    11. Re:happens to everyone by pasv · · Score: 1

      I'm not a criminal. I'm just an observer of crimes and I find them interesting. These are only my observations. Nothing more.

    12. Re:happens to everyone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not sure exactly what you meant by not posting the precautions you take on Slashdot. I'll assume you mean which steps you take to secure your machine. If you think proprietary information is going to protect you then you've already lost though. Security through obscurity is stupid and the more you post and the more feedback you get the less holes your setup will have. Harden, harden, and harden some more before hacking and keep your mouth shut after you've committed a crime.

  4. Hey! by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

    This is the second article about evolution in four hours!

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    1. Re:Hey! by bmo · · Score: 1

      "Think of it as evolution in action" - Tony Rand
      from the book "Oath of Fealty" by Jerry Pournell and Larry Niven

      --
      BMO

  5. If these guys were smart by countertrolling · · Score: 1

    we'd have a real problem. Actually I suppose we do. He probably represents 0.01% of the 'criminal community'. Only the dumbasses and patsies get caught.

    Eh, C'est la vie

    --
    For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
  6. This is what happens by calmofthestorm · · Score: 0

    when, in your rush to surrender, you trip over your own shoes.

    --
    93rd rule of Slashdot: No matter how obvious my sarcasm is, my comment will be taken seriously by someone.
    1. Re:This is what happens by Permutation+Citizen · · Score: 0

      Thank you AC for explaining the joke, but actually this is not really funny.

      This "french surrender" meme comes from french bashing campaign organized when France refused to help US invade Irak. It is now well known that Irak's WMD were a lie. So please stop repeating the same stupid jokes, thanks.

    2. Re:This is what happens by moortak · · Score: 1

      It dates back a lot further than that. It goes back to at least WW2.

      --
      Xavier Rabourdin for president 2012
    3. Re:This is what happens by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Are you the same guy who was spewing the same completely wrong crap in the thread the other day?

      Sibling has it right. Those jokes predate your birth, and probably your parents'.

      Shit, I saw Newkirk make one in an episode of Hogan's Heroes last night.

    4. Re:This is what happens by c6gunner · · Score: 0

      This "french surrender" meme comes from french bashing campaign organized when France refused to help US invade Irak.

      Wrong. As the other dude pointed out, it's a LOT older than that.

      And it's spelled "Iraq".

      It is now well known that Irak's WMD were a lie.

      I don't know about Irak's WMD, but Iraq's WMD were quite real.

      So please stop repeating the same stupid jokes, thanks.

      Then stop surrendering, Frenchy.

    5. Re:This is what happens by ladoga · · Score: 1

      .Wrong. As the other dude pointed out, it's a LOT older than that. And it's spelled "Iraq" I don't know about Irak's WMD, but Iraq's WMD were quite real. Then stop surrendering, Frenchy.

      And this is why rest of the world sees US as arrogant, self important smugs. Only arabs' israeli bashing comes close when you talk about people insulting foreigners on the internets. Grow up.

    6. Re:This is what happens by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      And this is why rest of the world sees US as arrogant, self important smugs.

      Ah, I see now. The world sees the US as arrogant because the world can't tell the difference between the US and Canada, and is too lazy to read slashdot sigs. Neat.

  7. reminds me of an old radio bit by arbiter1 · · Score: 1

    Hearing this story reminds of a daily bit a local morning radio talk show did, "The Idiot of the Day" but i think he wins "Idiot of the decade"

    1. Re:reminds me of an old radio bit by AlienIntelligence · · Score: 1

      Hearing this story reminds of a daily bit a local morning radio talk show did, "The Idiot of the Day" but i think he wins "Idiot of the decade"

      Sorry lil Timmy, but Santa ain't real!

      http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/09/that-silly-radio-show-listener-calling-in-hes-probably-an-actor/

      -AI

      --
      For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion
    2. Re:reminds me of an old radio bit by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      What a weird article. Somehow they find a way to impugn several radio hosts by saying they aren't doing the shady thing the article is about...

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  8. Meh? by Securityemo · · Score: 2

    It seems unrelated - he was treated as an anonymous source by the television programme, according to TFA. I can't see how the french police could have gotten anything out of that. They probably followed the money trail somehow since he was using stolen credit card data. And good riddance too, anyone using stolen credit cards is no better than a pickpocket no matter how they go about it.

    --
    Emotions! In your brain!
    1. Re:Meh? by artor3 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      From the article, it sounds like there was already an investigation in process. His admission of guilt on TV was just an extra nail in the coffin that may have convinced the cops to move in earlier, but this guy was going down either way.

    2. Re:Meh? by Alarash · · Score: 4, Informative

      I live in France so we have a little more details. He got caught because one of his username on some website in the background wasn't properly/entirely blurred by the TV journalists. Following that lead, the investigators caught him. Oops!

    3. Re:Meh? by David+Off · · Score: 1

      The blurring is always poorly done on French TV programs. They had a program about men who visit prostitutes and I recognized a work colleague being interviewed. The blurring didn't follow his head very well so you could see parts of his face, only the eyes were really covered.

    4. Re:Meh? by Vectronic · · Score: 1

      "A hacker that we'll call Carl S. or perhaps C. Smith"

    5. Re:Meh? by phillips321 · · Score: 1

      WAIT... before you do anything just think of the possibilities.....

      If this is your boss then surely blackmail is the way forward! (unless he's a cool boss = congratulate him and join him next time)

    6. Re:Meh? by eulernet · · Score: 2

      The most complete article (in french) is here:
      http://www.zataz.com/news/21145/prison--hacker--hacktiviste.html

  9. I bet hackers don't do well in jail by WonderingAround · · Score: 1

    That pesky carpal tunnel won't help when he's trying to hold onto the soap

    --
    It's like the mind going AWOL, it's there somewhere
  10. Correlation isn't causation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Obligatory comment on /. but do you really think the police tracked him down in only 6 days? He was probably already being investigated, if a reporter could get in touch with him, investigators could probably do the same, under cover.

  11. or in hacker parlance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He fell victim to social engineering.

    1. Re:or in hacker parlance by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 2

      He fell victim to social engineering.

      This attack is called 'Ego Entrapment', where the victim's ego causes his head to swell beyond the coverage supplied by his tin foil hat, allowing exposure not sufficiently protected by his prerequisite paranoia.

  12. Not everyone is an idiot by syousef · · Score: 4, Insightful

    soon as you get away with it enough you get complacent and let your guard down, thinking you are better than other criminals

    Being a loud mouth idiot does not happen to everyone. Being a criminal does not happen to everyone.

    This guy was on the wrong TV show. He should have been on "World's Dumbest Criminals"

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
    1. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He should have been on "World's Dumbest Criminals"

      Indeed he may be in the future... Interesting proposal.

    2. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by Kjella · · Score: 1

      That there's smart and stupid people is no surprise. But I still get surprised about how smart and stupid the one and same person can be. Not just for lack of domain knowledge, but one moment seeming like a highly intelligent being and the next a drooling idiot...

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    3. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by Gaygirlie · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That there's smart and stupid people is no surprise. But I still get surprised about how smart and stupid the one and same person can be. Not just for lack of domain knowledge, but one moment seeming like a highly intelligent being and the next a drooling idiot...

      There is a difference between intelligence and wisdom, and in this case it's clearly the lack of wisdom that became the hacker's downfall.

    4. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by DZign · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's not just a matter of being stupid but just not being adult enough or understanding the consequences of what he did.

      I once got on an irc channel of some guys (kids ?) that wanted to start their own cracking group. Followed their conversation for 2 minutes and it was obvious they were like 14yo script kiddies that had no idea what they were doing or what the consequences could be.
      They thought they could legally trade cracked software for a few days, because one of the large groups put something like 'try this for 5 days and then buy it if you like it' (don't remember the exact words), so those kiddies thought it was perfectly legal for them to keep illegal software for 5 days, trade it to other people, and then delete it.

    5. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by ColdFury · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is that WIS is this guy's dump stat in exchange for a higher INT? I'm going to wager that like most computer hackers, his STR, DEX, CON, & CHA weren't that high either... no WONDER his INT is that high!

    6. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      soon as you get away with it enough you get complacent and let your guard down, thinking you are better than other criminals

      Being a loud mouth idiot does not happen to everyone. Being a criminal does not happen to everyone.

      This guy was on the wrong TV show. He should have been on "World's Dumbest Criminals"

      He didn't qualify until he went on the first TV show. :-)

    7. Re:Not everyone is an idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how else would he boost his int without sacrificing str/dex/con? wisdom had to be put at 8, suffering a penalty.

  13. It'll never stick. by Jyunga · · Score: 1

    His bragging was obviously not intended to be a factual statement.

    1. Re:It'll never stick. by AlienIntelligence · · Score: 1

      His bragging was obviously not intended to be a factual statement.

      Lol, I don't know if anyone reads real news.

      -AI

      --
      For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion
  14. Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Ozan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Surprisingly, a good rule of thumb for any criminal is to stay clear of any cardinal sin.

    Lust - don't let your dick make any decisions for you
    Greed - know when to stop
    Sloth - go the extra mile or else it might bite you
    Wrath - like lust, an emotion that can negatively influence your judgment
    Pride - the best criminal and the perfect crime is the one nobody knows about, and overconfidence leads to errors.
    Gluttony - excessive consumption raises suspicions
    Envy - don't try to outdo someone else. He is known for a reason.

    1. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sensible. Good for any person regardless of criminal intent. Sins of excess are considered especially bad for a reason. I will cut and paste this list for a personal reminder of such.

    2. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by erroneus · · Score: 1

      Awesome list. I couldn't have said it better. I wanted to say exactly that but also that there seems to be a kind of entitlement mentality among such people. "I am superior, you are inferior, I can do this and you can't stop me. If you don't want people in your stuff, you should make a better lock!"

      Seriously? A better lock? How good does security have to be before a criminal considers it to be a crime to break in?

    3. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Chuck+Chunder · · Score: 3, Funny

      If being a criminal is going to be that boring I thnk I will stick to my day job!

      --
      Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
    4. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by aakhan · · Score: 1

      Well said. It is always very hard to resist any of those sins.

    5. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't need to stay away from Cardinal Sin.

      He's dead and can't bother you

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4113474.stm

    6. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      +1

    7. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Inda · · Score: 1

      I'll add other rule:

      "You never get caught the first time"

      If people were caught the first time, there would be no crime.

      Do not repeat your crimes.

      --
      This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
    8. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by MickLinux · · Score: 1

      You know, this is extremely reminiscent of the end of the book of Deuteronomy, "the song of Moses." Basically, Moses has spent all this time saying, "do good things, and God will bless you; do bad things, and He'll chatise you, and eventually destroy you out of the promised land."

      In the Song of Moses, he says, "You can't do the good things: you're going to do the bad, and you're going to be destroyed out of the land."

      If you're engaged in criminality, you can't keep clear of cardinal sins. You're going to commit one of them, because you're already handed over to them.

      This French hacker looks like he succombed to Pride.

      --
      Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
    9. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Do not repeat your crimes.

      The government of your choice is proof that you can repeat your crimes and profit. Indeed, they seem to be little more than mechanisms insuring such.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 1

      Of course the problem is that most criminals are criminals because they indulge in one or more of those sins.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    11. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      or become a politician, that list is your job description.

    12. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The security system needs to involve active retribution before the criminal gets a negative behavioral reinforcement.

      And hey, this time it did! Granted, only after the moron bragged about it on teevee...

    13. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If being a criminal is going to be that boring I thnk I will stick to my day job!

      Bank executive

    14. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      In other word the best way to be a good criminal is to avoid features that would make you one in the first place.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    15. Re:Vanity, definitely my favorite sin. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wasn't aware that people believe pride is something that is bad........ interesting

  15. Encrypt and show them the middle finger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When will people learn to encrypt their drives if they are doing shady things?

  16. Obligatory Simpson's quote by Brett+Buck · · Score: 1

    Dude, videotaping this crime spree was the best idea we ever had!

  17. Encypt and show the cops the middle finger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have people not yet understood to encrypt their drives if they are doing shady things? TrueCrypt and a reasonable password is enough to keep even FBI from peeping around (refer to Daniel Dantas/Operation Satyagraha case).

    1. Re:Encypt and show the cops the middle finger by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 2

      France is particularly draconian about encryption. I'm not sure what their exact legal situation is.. in the UK you can be jailed for not giving up your encryption keys on demand, so you have to weigh up the sentence for that versus what you'd get for the crimes they'd convict you for if you did.

      It appears that anything above 40-bit keys is illegal in France unless you use key escrow.

    2. Re:Encypt and show the cops the middle finger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The use of encryption in France has been free since the 2004 law for trust in the digital economy (ie, in IT, basically) per article 30 thereof, though it is not clear from the text whether or not downloading from a country other than France or making available for download such software as uses encryption for purposes other than authentification or verification of data integrity are freely allowed or not.

      The Penal Code specifies that the punishment for refusing to provide or use a key requested by the authorities is three years in prison and €45,000, and that the punishment for refusing to do so "though providing or using the key could have avoided the commission of a crime or of a misdemeanour or limited the effects thereof" is five years in prison and €75,000 — which is even more scandalous, of course, since the judge could very rarely be entirely certain that gaining access to the encrypted data would have prevented the commission of a crime or of a misdemeanour when he doesn't know what that data is?

      Does anyone know what became of those convicted in the UK under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act for not handing over their keys? Did they fight it all the way to the European Court of Human Rights? I reckon that the Court would likely declare punishment for non-provision of encryption keys requested by the authorities illegal in virtue of the right to maintain silent and not to incriminate oneself, which it upholds based on Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to a fair trial) in Heaney and McGuinness v. Ireland, 2000: "The Court, accordingly, finds that the security and public order concerns relied on by the Government cannot justify a provision which extinguishes the very essence of the applicants' rights to silence and against self-incrimination guaranteed by Article 6 1 of the Convention."

  18. Wrong title by AlexEdge · · Score: 1

    The use of Hacker word is far-fetched on this case. Away from the conspiracy's drama done by the journalist for this show, and decrypting the reality of the situation for this guy, what we have ? Just a low-budget burglar, wanting to lather on TV.

  19. I for one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... welcome our new TV watching overlords!

  20. He demo's breaking into gov't comp on April 1? by perpenso · · Score: 1

    Stunning police work took 6 days to arrest him...

    Well they probably spent the first 5 days assuming he was playing a joke on the TV network or the network was playing a joke on the viewers. From the article:
    ""Carl" was arrested on April 7 in Paris, 6 days after the program was aired."

    So April 1 was the broadcast date? Do the French "celebrate" April Fools day?

    1. Re:He demo's breaking into gov't comp on April 1? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the program was aired on Februari 28. You can watch it here : http://info.france2.fr/complement-denquete/?page=accueil&id_rubrique=101. ( A revoir en intégralité) .Goto 38:39 min.

    2. Re:He demo's breaking into gov't comp on April 1? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do the French "celebrate" April Fools day?

      Yes, they call it "poisson d'avril".

    3. Re:He demo's breaking into gov't comp on April 1? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fish of April?

    4. Re:He demo's breaking into gov't comp on April 1? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, victims of pranks used to get a fish-shaped mark placed on their backs.

    5. Re:He demo's breaking into gov't comp on April 1? by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 1

      It's the same in dutch. An April Fools prank is sometimes called an "aprilvis" or "april fish"

      --
      If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
  21. Geniuses can be delusional ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That there's smart and stupid people is no surprise. But I still get surprised about how smart and stupid the one and same person can be.

    It is not uncommon to see a person who is a "genius" in one area fail because they incorrectly believe they are a "genius" in more than one area.

  22. His Downfall was the TV producers. by AftanGustur · · Score: 3, Informative

    His downfall was actually a mistake by the production team.

    Before emission they were masking his face and changing his voice, but during one sot where they filmed his screen while he ran a file browser on his PC, there was a directory name visible where information about his real name or "handle" could be seen.

    This was quickly fixed in the version that was put on the internet but it was too late, the companies he bragged about having hacked filed a suit and the police came storming through his door and confiscated all hit stuff.

    --
    echo '[q]sa[ln0=aln80~Psnlbx]16isb572CCB9AE9DB03273snlbxq' |dc
    1. Re:His Downfall was the TV producers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      His downfall was actually a mistake by the production team.

      trust no-one

    2. Re:His Downfall was the TV producers. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      This reminds me of a Monty Python sketch, where they showed someone with a blurred face, and a distorted voice. The announcer said that it was for his own protection. But then stated, "His real name is XXX and he lives at YYY".

      Note to self: If I commit a crime, do NOT go on television about it.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    3. Re:His Downfall was the TV producers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      His downfall was actually a mistake by the production team.

      Before emission they were masking his face and changing his voice, but during one sot where they filmed his screen while he ran a file browser on his PC, there was a directory name visible where information about his real name or "handle" could be seen.

      This was quickly fixed in the version that was put on the internet but it was too late, the companies he bragged about having hacked filed a suit and the police came storming through his door and confiscated all hit stuff.

      http://www.banned.in

    4. Re:His Downfall was the TV producers. by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      do NOT go on television about it

      That's a good start. Even better: if you do something illegal but don't want to get caught, don't ever tell anyone about it.

    5. Re:His Downfall was the TV producers. by errandum · · Score: 1

      No, ultimately it was his fault for going on TV.

      I just wonder how the reporter found him in the first place...

  23. Smart people do dumb things... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've seen a lot of that.

    1. Re:Smart people do dumb things... by dfuess · · Score: 1

      A well analysed phenomenon. Check

      http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/feature/why-people-are-irrational-kurt-kleiner/

      for example

  24. What is to be learned? by drolli · · Score: 1

    a) Dont be criminal

    b) if you are, dont believe that some hacking of army systems will give you positive karma

    c) If you nevertheless insist in that you have the right to do everything based on your own laws, then dont talk about that in television

  25. That's why I don't overvalue smart. by MickLinux · · Score: 2

    There is a huge difference between smart and wise.

    There is a huge difference between smart and good.

    There is a very small difference between wise and good.

    Our society values smart.

    P.S. Considering that this is an article about France, I'd say our American society, but a lot of our American values came from France, too. Very few participants in the French Revolution, for example, were wise. Many (such as Dr. Guillotine) were smart. Nope -- our entire society values smart. Not very wise, if you ask me.

    --
    Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
    1. Re:That's why I don't overvalue smart. by PitaBred · · Score: 2

      American society doesn't value smart or wise. Have you seen Jersey Shore? How we hire, train and pay our teachers? Creationists?

      No, America doesn't value smart. We value entertainment, distraction and showmanship.

  26. Think of it as evolution in action by ssj152 · · Score: 1

    Stupid git! The title says it all. The quote is from Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.

    --
    Be Obscure Clearly
    There are visual errors in time as well as in space.
  27. Social Engineering works by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Social engineering is usually the best form of cracking a system. The corollary of this that it's also an effective way of catching crackers, as we see here.

  28. Thales? by Old+Sparky · · Score: 1

    And what else does Thales build?
    Pitot probes for Airbus A330, a la Air France Flight 447.
    Should be No Great Trick to hack into their systems...

  29. You forguot one: by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 1

    Self Destruct Button - don't have one that blows up your entire lair

  30. French firewall? by pak9rabid · · Score: 0

    Sounds like French firewalls are about as affective as the French military.

    1. Re:French firewall? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FINALLY

      Had to scroll down this far to see this. What is up, people? Are we collectively forgetting the one most important French specialty?

      Thank you. I almost gave up.

    2. Re:French firewall? by pak9rabid · · Score: 1

      Mod parent up ;)

    3. Re:French firewall? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In France our firewall is Open Office. It is teh best.

    4. Re:French firewall? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      for those who don't get the joke

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4LofqPCQew

  31. Reality is, he didn't do the cracking. by BitZtream · · Score: 1

    Its far more likely that someone gave him access after THEY broke in, or he simply got in via some scripted toolkit he downloaded from someone else.

    $100 says he actually doesn't know how to get into anything, he road on someone elses coat tails.

    --
    Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
  32. Re: it's not a "world war" until paris falls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...and remember kids, it's not a "world war" until paris falls

  33. Never say anything useful to a reporter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It really is as simple as that. If you ever talk about what you know you can do, then preface it with the statement, "It may be possible to..." or "Hypothetically speaking, someone could...." That way you are only speculating. You can in that manner describe in detail how to do something, but as long as you state that you've never attempted something like this, or that you are speaking only as a "mind exercise" you should be safe. That way you could say exactly how people could break in, but as long as you state it as a hypothesis without testing, and state something to the effect that anyone attempting it would be breaking the law, and you are stating this purely for educational purposes, you have given yourself enough wiggle room that they cannot get a conviction.

    But demonstrating it, is just stupid...

  34. Actually... originally it used to be real fish. by denzacar · · Score: 1
    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  35. no crimes by anonieuweling · · Score: 1

    Bragging is not a crime.
    Car numbers say nothing. He found them on the net.
    So who did the actual stealing?

    No proof...

  36. French hacker arrested after bragging on TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Zat was, how you say, le stupeed.

  37. How long until we wake up by Kuruk · · Score: 1

    The young love to brag on media. TV, Blog's, Facebook the list goes on. The problem is we are now well trained monkeys to record everything we do.

    Funny how when its something wrong there are surprised there in trouble.

    I hate to see what young people eagerly submit themselves too in 20 years.