Slashdot Mirror
The Hacker Who Found the Secrets of the Next Xbox and PlayStation
An anonymous reader writes "Stephen Totilo at Kotaku has a long article detailing the exploits of an Australian hacker who calls himself SuperDaE. He managed to break into networks at Microsoft, Sony, and Epic Games, from which he retrieved information about the PS4 and next-gen Xbox 'Durango' (which turned out to be correct), and he even secured developer hardware for Durango itself. He uncovered security holes at Epic, but notified the company rather than exploiting them. He claims to have done the same with Microsoft. He hasn't done any damage or facilitated piracy with the access he's had, but simply breaching the security of those companies was enough to get the U.S. FBI to convince Australian authorities to raid his house and confiscate his belongings. In an age where many tech-related 'sources' are just empty claims, a lot of this guy's information has checked out. The article describes both SuperDaE's activities and a journalist's efforts to verify his claims."
In an age where many tech-related 'sources' are just empty claims, a lot of this guy's information has checked out.
And he still broke into other people's networks without permission. But I suppose that's OK here since the private info that he released was of interest to Slashdotters and was "accurate"? It was OK because the victims where Microsoft and Sony? Or, shall we see another case of the famous Slashdot Double Standard?
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
> he retrieved information about the PS4 and next-gen Xbox 'Durango' (which turned out to be correct)
"Durango" hasn't been revealed yet. How do we know his info is correct?
Ugh.
If some surfer dude from Oz can do this imagine what the Chinese Army and the TLAs have gotten into.
I don't know is this is good or bad, Mutually Assured Destruction can be a good thing, as well as can be the dissemination of information.
However it sure should give people pause when they put a server online. Or make their bank accounts available on the web.
It might be a case of not if but when.
There seems to be this common misconception that a network can be broken into without causing any damage. Tell that to the IT department that has to re-flash and re-image every damn machine on the network to make sure no backdoors were left behind.
There seems to be this common misconception that having to fix a network to remove holes and backdoors is somehow worse than having lived with it for some time without knowing it Not to mention the fact that your second sentence does not substantiate the first, also known as the non sequitur fallacy: not having caused any damage and being under suspicion for having caused some are two completely independent things.
Ezekiel 23:20
There seems to be this common misconception that a network can be broken into without causing any damage. Tell that to the IT department that has to re-flash and re-image every damn machine on the network to make sure no backdoors were left behind.
Those actions and associated costs are not the result of having your network broken into. They are the result of being told your network is vulnerable - even if you have no knowledge that the network was actually broken into.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
Summary: Kid breaks in networks of corporate entities, accesses trade secrets, purchases development hardware using fraudulent information, brags about it on the internet and then cries about being "ruined".
There is nothing "ethical" about any of this kid's shenanigans. He cried about them taking his toys away, and doesn't even realize he's going to pound-me-in-the-ass prison yet.
Moral of the story: Common sense eludes hacker.