Former Cal State Student Gets Year In Prison For Rigging Campus Election

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Former Cal State Student Gets Year In Prison For Rigging Campus Election

Posted by timothy on Friday July 19, 2013 @01:18PM from the do-son-of-sam-laws-apply-after-that? dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from ABC News: "A former student was sentenced to a year in prison for rigging his school elections at California State University-San Marcos so he could become student president, court documents show. Matthew Weaver, 22, was charged in January with wire fraud, access device fraud and unauthorized access to a computer. He pleaded guilty in March, admitting that he had stolen the email passwords of more than 740 students and used them to vote for himself 630 times during the student elections in March 2012... Right before the voting ended, on March 15, 2012, officials noticed 259 votes coming from another IP address. Officials tracked the IP address to a classroom, and found Weaver sitting there. There was only one other student in the lab, according to court documents. A university police officer arrested Weaver and seized his bag, subsequently discovering that he had stashed the keyloggers there."

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What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:21 · Score: 5, Informative

Dupe:
http://it.slashdot.org/story/13/07/17/1455204/former-student-gets-year-in-prison-for-college-president-election-fraud
1. Re:What? by sourceholder · 2013-07-19 13:24 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Apparently he rigged the /. submission system as well.
2. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:26 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Dupe, dupe, dupe,
  Dupe of URL
  Dupe, dupe,
  Dupe of URL
  Yes, oh, I, I'm gonna link you
  Nothing can stop me now
  'Cause I'm the Dupe of URL...
3. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:39 · Score: 1
  
  Apparently he rigged the /. submission system as well.
  The guy is a unskilled script kiddie dumbass cockmuncher who did everything the most stupid way possible. Even the incompetent campus rent-a-cops caught him redhanded and that's just insulting.
  
  Protip: if you are running for an election and suddenly tons of votes for you come in, from the same source, in the same timeframe, and only you stand to gain from it, then ... uhm gee, i wonder who they'll suspect? Stupid stupid stupid. Drastically improving his chances would have been trivial.
4. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:56 · Score: 0
  
  He might not have gotten caught if he had been smart enough to spin up 700 EC2 instances and vote from those.
5. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 14:24 · Score: 0
  
  Number 1...'THE LARCH'
  [Photo of larch tree.]
  The larch. The larch.
6. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 14:55 · Score: 0
  
  Dupe my ass, not only is it a repeat, but the vote counts keep changing.
7. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 15:21 · Score: 0
  
  By doing nothing at all? The mad genius of the man...
8. Re:What? by Em+Adespoton · 2013-07-19 15:57 · Score: 1
  
  He would have done better to frame his competition and win by default.
9. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 16:02 · Score: 0
  
  Mod this gentleman up. He speaks the uncomfortable truth. I should point out, however, that the offender was a white from Orange County -- and Whites from Orange County are the "niggers" of rich White people.
  -- Ethanol-fueled
10. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 16:46 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Maybe that's what the other guy did. #paranoid #slashdothatestwitterhashtags
11. Re: What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 22:44 · Score: 0
  
  nothing is more suspect than an AC who signs with a user name
12. Re:What? by msauve · 2013-07-20 00:15 · Score: 1
  
  Dupe? Nope. It's from timothy. Dope.
  
  --
  "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
13. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 01:21 · Score: 0
  
  This was funny five years ago, it is now redundant and boring.
14. Re:What? by publiclurker · 2013-07-20 02:00 · Score: 1
  
  I see klan cowards still hang out in packs.
15. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 06:41 · Score: 0
  
  Like duplicate posts only two days apart?
16. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 07:30 · Score: 0
  
  What I really want to know is just which fraternity he belonged to. He simply HAD to have been a frat boy.
17. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 07:38 · Score: 0
  
  Cal State San Marcos has its own police department, not rent-a-cops.
  Unlike some states, California has fairly strict standards for police hires.
  They're not perfect, and allow for some obtuse guys to qualify, but they aren't mall cops.
18. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 07:46 · Score: 0
  
  ACs commenting on a submission by an anonymous reader. Sure, why not be AC.
19. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 08:52 · Score: 0
  
  This was funny five years ago. It is now redundant and boring!
20. Re:What? by TangoMargarine · 2013-07-20 11:18 · Score: 1
  
  Sup dawg, I heard you like redundancies so I posted on Slashdot complaining about your redundancy and didn't bother to put any other worthwhile content in my post...so you can be redundant while you're redundant.
  
  --
  Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
21. Re:What? by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  California's standards for cops is all over the map, same as the rest of the nation. CHP does a really good job, many local departments, not so much.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
22. Re:What? by bbsalem · 2013-07-21 06:59 · Score: 1
  
  Hmm, are you as concerned for the moral lapse as that he got caught for using technology stupidly? I hope the first.
Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:24 · Score: 0

Dupe from two days ago.
http://it.slashdot.org/story/13/07/17/1455204/former-student-gets-year-in-prison-for-college-president-election-fraud
Inappropriate sentence ... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:25 · Score: 0

He should have received the death penalty ...
1. Re:Inappropriate sentence ... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 16:21 · Score: 1
  
  I predict he receives a job offer as a Congressional staffer.
2. Re:Inappropriate sentence ... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 02:20 · Score: 0
  
  If not the Conservative Party of Canada will certainly take him.
3. Re:Inappropriate sentence ... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 04:03 · Score: 0
  
  Unlikely. After all, if you wanted to rig an election, would you hire the person who got caught doing that, or the one who did not get caught?
Meanwhile in Canada... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:25 · Score: 0

... The ruling party uses overt voter suppression to win in some ridings, using their own voter database and no one goes to jail. What a joke.
If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 13:28 · Score: 4, Interesting

Really. All this work for a lousy student government election which in the real world means absolutely nothing!?!
He should have remembered that episode of the Simpsons where Bart runs for class president and loses.
Homer: Bart, does the class president get paid?
Bart: No.
Homer: Does he have to do extra work?
Bart: Yes.
Homer: And is this Martin Prince going to get to do anything neat, like throw out the first ball at the World Series?
Bart: Hell no!
Homer: So let the baby have his bottle! That is what I always tell myself.
Bart: Thanks, Dad.
1. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by dj245 · 2013-07-19 13:54 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Really. All this work for a lousy student government election which in the real world means absolutely nothing!?!
  He should have remembered that episode of the Simpsons where Bart runs for class president and loses.
  Homer: Bart, does the class president get paid? Bart: No.
  This position had a large stipend attached. $8000 is a lot for a student. I don't know why the summaries never mention this. I guess it makes for more controversy when it is fraud for something rather meaningless rather than plain old fraud for cash.
  
  --
  Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
2. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Entropy98 · 2013-07-19 13:55 · Score: 1
  
  Really. All this work for a lousy student government election which in the real world means absolutely nothing!?!
  He should have remembered that episode of the Simpsons where Bart runs for class president and loses.
  Homer: Bart, does the class president get paid?
  Bart: No.
  In this case the class president gets $8,000 a year.
3. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by ebusinessmedia1 · 2013-07-19 14:32 · Score: 2
  
  And still no senior bankers in jail.
4. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by causality · 2013-07-19 14:44 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  And still no senior bankers in jail.
  They own the jail. And the courts. And the legislature. And if you want to run for office you take their money and probably not directly from their hands.
  
  So no, none of them in jail.
  
  --
  It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
5. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by phantomfive · 2013-07-19 15:21 · Score: 1
  
  And still no senior bankers in jail.
  Because senior bankers have lawyers who tell them what is legal and what is not legal. And the bankers stay on the smart side of legal (except the ones who don't, like Madoff).
  
  Legal isn't the same as ethical. Bankers keep it legal.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
6. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Demonantis · 2013-07-19 15:53 · Score: 1
  
  Not to troll or flamebait, but I have trouble believing this. They do control a fair bit of it, but I think significant portion of the US debt is owned by China. I always wonder what would happen if suppliers of credit dried up for the US.
7. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by the+eric+conspiracy · 2013-07-19 16:13 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  China owns about 8% of the US debt.
  US debt is about 80% owned by the US.
8. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by mysidia · 2013-07-19 17:09 · Score: 1
  
  This position had a large stipend attached. $8000 is a lot for a student. I don't know why the summaries never mention this. I guess it makes for more controversy when it is fraud for something rather meaningless rather than plain old fraud for cash.
  It sounds like a heck of a lot of money to me too; and i'm a pro software engineer, not a student.
  However; I don't live in California. After factoring in cost of living, the stipend paid to someone living in Long beach CA is probably equivalent to what would be around $2000 in most of the US.
9. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Mashiki · 2013-07-19 17:11 · Score: 1
  
  They own the jail. And the courts. And the legislature. And if you want to run for office you take their money and probably not directly from their hands.
  So no, none of them in jail.
  Atypical /. poster that doesn't know the difference between illegal, and unethical. In turn, doesn't know that many of said changes were made by government in the first place which allowed things to happen. Following with that, banks used the system in place. So you end up with: Illegal no, unethical yes.
  
  --
  Om, nomnomnom...
10. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Seumas · 2013-07-19 17:41 · Score: 1
  
  And he was caught, so he never got the money. He should have been expelled and nothing more. This wasn't a government election. It was just some douchy kid rigging a meaningless school election it is pretty gross that it got this far.
11. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by b4upoo · 2013-07-19 19:22 · Score: 1
  
  Big bankers really are an issue. Just as one man said if we start arresting crooks in business there might be no nation left at all. Detroit city employees are about to become severely harmed victims. Why we have a system that allows pension funds not to be transferred every pay day in such a way that the failure of a city or business is in itself corrupt. After all if any interest is earned at all on those pension funds it should all go to the pensioner. Therefore the city never had any reason not to fund the pensions every pay day. Frankly pensions should be beyond bankruptcy.
  Another awful, corrupt fact is that Detroit was done in by growth and industry. Therefore it makes no sense at all that they seek growth and more industry. Think about it. The growth stuff is exactly why hell holes like Flint Michigan and Brooklyn New York exist. How wonderful those places would be if they had not encouraged businesses and people to move there.
12. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by KGIII · 2013-07-19 20:38 · Score: 1
  
  I wondered who would be the first to suggest that breaking the law should have no legal consequences. Congratulations - it is you. Why is it that you think it's okay to break the law - especially a just law. Or would you like to argue that stealing passwords with keyloggers is justified? I'm a bit curious, seriously. Where do your ethics come from on this? What makes you think that violating a law, a good law, should be ignored by the justice system?
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
13. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by gl4ss · 2013-07-19 20:46 · Score: 1
  
  China owns about 8% of the US debt.
  US debt is about 80% owned by the US.
  so what you're saying is that china owns 40% of US debt to other nations?
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
14. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 20:53 · Score: 0
  
  Its not about rigging the election, but the illegal activities he engaged in to rig it, and they should certainly be punished.
15. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Seumas · 2013-07-19 21:14 · Score: 1
  
  It comes from reality and the fact that this idiot didn't steal people's identities and charge up their credit lines or anything else and the only things he applied this idiocy to was a meaningless school election. He's an idiot and what he did was shitty and in the real world, it would have real implications and should be punished. Colleges have established plenty of precedence for exceptions to things that happen on campus or by students not being treated as if it is the "real world", so why suddenly pick and choose?
  Further more, if it has to be a criminal matter for the courts, how is a good chunk of community service not more fitting? You know, again, because as far as I can tell all he did was grab some logins and vote in a school election. You can't simply dismiss what he used the data for. If he was buying cars under people's names or something, then by all means - throw him in the clink.
16. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 21:41 · Score: 0
  
  You are a conspiracy theorist.
17. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by MysteriousPreacher · 2013-07-20 00:37 · Score: 1
  
  Wasn't there $8000 up for grabs here?
  I agree than punishment should be weighted by type of crime and severity. Whether one would steal a bottle of coke or a flat screen TV, it's theft. In the sense of sentencing, having low aspirations shouldn't excuse the core act.
  
  --
  -- Using the preview button since 2005
18. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 01:54 · Score: 0
  
  Really. All this work for a lousy student government election which in the real world means absolutely nothing!?!
  He should have remembered that episode of the Simpsons where Bart runs for class president and loses.
  Homer: Bart, does the class president get paid?
  Bart: No.
  This position had a large stipend attached. $8000 is a lot for a student. I don't know why the summaries never mention this. I guess it makes for more controversy when it is fraud for something rather meaningless rather than plain old fraud for cash.
  Also, that position controls a very large Student Government budget. Unscrupulous SGA leaders have been embezzling money from their budgets for a very long time... roughly 100k dollars in one instance I'm aware of.
19. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 02:04 · Score: 0
  
  You are a moron.
20. Re: If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 02:22 · Score: 0
  
  The same thing that happens when the supply of cheap money dries up to any other crack addicted economy. The chinese go bust. The world is dependent on cheap US dollars and we will print as much as they want and maybe more. Especially if they continue to buy our bankrupt miners worthless gold.
21. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by KGIII · 2013-07-20 02:48 · Score: 1
  
  He STOLE their credentials in an effort to win $8000. I'd have given him probation and community service if I were the judge.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
22. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by causality · 2013-07-20 10:30 · Score: 1
  
  They own the jail. And the courts. And the legislature. And if you want to run for office you take their money and probably not directly from their hands.
  So no, none of them in jail.
  Atypical /. poster that doesn't know the difference between illegal, and unethical. In turn, doesn't know that many of said changes were made by government in the first place which allowed things to happen. Following with that, banks used the system in place. So you end up with: Illegal no, unethical yes.
  Actually the point was that we would have a stronger nation and a better world if there were more overlap and less distinction between illegal and unethical.
  
  And you may wish to brush up on your own history there. The bankers have a long history of trying to control the nation's currency, beginning with Andrew Jackson (who was shot in a pointless duel), again with Abe Lincoln (who was assassinated after issuing interest-free greenbacks), and finally succeeded with the current Federal Reserve system. Incidentally, Kennedy wanted to revert back to government-issued currency.
  
  Banks funded the politicians who put the system in place. You're an asshole to read my post in the most hostile he-must-be-a-total-idiot manner possible and then assume ignorance on my part because of your assumption. This kind of shit and the way it's become so fashionable lately is why intelligent adult discussion on this site is becoming such a rarity.
  
  --
  It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
23. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 10:35 · Score: 0
  
  China owns about 8% of the US debt.
  US debt is about 80% owned by the US.
  so what you're saying is that china owns 40% of US debt to other nations?
  China also owns 100% of US debt to China.
24. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by Attila+Dimedici · 2013-07-20 11:50 · Score: 1
  
  Except for Jon Corzine who stole the money of people who had invested through his company to attempt to make back the money he had lost because he didn't get out of the market soon enough (I think he stayed in the market for certain European government bonds too long and lost a lot of money after everybody else knew to be out of that market).
  
  --
  The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
25. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 02:55 · Score: 1
  
  Social Security Trust and the Federal Reserve Bank are both very large 'individual' holders.
  As to China, those are their banking systems 'reserves'. Good luck to them.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
26. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 02:59 · Score: 1
  
  I'd say it was more like he bet the EU would bail out the Italian bankers, but didn't have the liquidity to see it through. He would have made out like a bandit, but had to liquidate his position at the worst time. /Nelson Ha Ha!
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
27. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  Detroit should just tell Shanghai. That will work.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
28. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  Not so much embezzling, as throwing parties for your friends out of the 'Student Activity Budget'. That's just SOP, legal and expected.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
29. Re:If he had only learned from the Simpsons by TubeSteak · 2013-07-27 14:37 · Score: 1
  
  China owns enough foreign debt to move the market on US currency.
  That matters more than the fact that 80% of US Debt is owned domestically.
  
  --
  [Fuck Beta]
  o0t!
& people wonder by toby · 2013-07-19 13:33 · Score: 2, Interesting

Why it is a social problem that there is no accountability whatsoever for the crimes and deceptions and election rigging of the rich, famous, well-connected, political dynasties and the One Party.

--
you had me at #!
That should be a lesson to him by mysidia · 2013-07-19 13:33 · Score: 1, Insightful

You can only rig real elections and get away with it; not campus elections.
Because a campus is so small, and everyone knows if you cheat a little.
remember Ohio by frovingslosh · 2013-07-19 13:39 · Score: 1, Troll

Obama: "Matthew Weaver rigged an election to steal an office. He could have been me."

--
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
1. Re:remember Ohio by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 14:02 · Score: 0
  
  It was him.
College student governments actually do have power by voss · 2013-07-19 14:07 · Score: 2

As an example a state university in florida will have 20-30000 students and a student government budget in the millions. A budget bigger than some small cities.
I'm more surprised... by Zargg · 2013-07-19 14:10 · Score: 5, Interesting

there were officials sitting and watching the electronic tally in real time, with the IP addresses attached even, and they were able to spot it and track the IP to the physical location and get there before he was done. Am I the only one surprised at the level of security for a student election? I guess it has been a problem before, since they had this whole system set up for this...
1. Re: I'm more surprised... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 14:23 · Score: 0
  
  They obviously wrote a GUI in Visual Basic to track the IP address.
2. Re:I'm more surprised... by Em+Adespoton · 2013-07-19 16:03 · Score: 1
  
  there were officials sitting and watching the electronic tally in real time, with the IP addresses attached even, and they were able to spot it and track the IP to the physical location and get there before he was done. Am I the only one surprised at the level of security for a student election? I guess it has been a problem before, since they had this whole system set up for this...
  Students aren't yet jaded, and those interested in politics take a very active part in it (and are often computer savvy as well, being young).
3. Re: I'm more surprised... by mysidia · 2013-07-19 17:14 · Score: 2
  
  What, like this?
4. Re:I'm more surprised... by mysidia · 2013-07-19 17:22 · Score: 2
  
  there were officials sitting and watching the electronic tally in real time, with the IP addresses attached even, and they were able to spot it and track the IP to the physical location and get there before he was done.
  Sometimes IT admins have little better to do, and they understand about students abusing resources... they may have been watching for security reasons and noticed something anomolous; suddenly a massive amount of activity from one IP that just happened to be an on-campus IP.
  The cl00bie trying to rig the election; apparently never heard of using something like Tor, VPN, or open proxy services.
  There are probably plenty of California-based services they could have used to distribute traffic over multiple IPs; which would have made it less obvious -- or at least make the identity of the bad actor unobvious.
  What's sad is the guy probably ruined his entire future career over some stupid shit.... what employer will want to hire the college guy who committed a felony in college?
  Folks, please leave the hacking and other crimes to the expert script kiddies who live in Russia and China, where they are able to pursue those activities with impunity ---- those jobs are not for Americans; you're supposed to be honest, and work normal jobs -- like teacher or lawyer.
5. Re:I'm more surprised... by Seumas · 2013-07-19 17:45 · Score: 1
  
  Students are idiots. They should be disabused of this bullshit early on. Otherwise you end up with these fucking twats running out there every election (usually their first or second one, ever) and believing that after 230 years of this government and some 45 presidents -- the one they're going to vote for THIS time is finally going to be the GOOD one that totally fixes EVERYTHING.
  Frankly, good on this kid and shame on those treating it like anything more than an expulsion-worthy triviality. He treated the school election exactly as seriously and respectfully as a real election should be and far too much for what a school election should be.
6. Re:I'm more surprised... by KGIII · 2013-07-19 20:44 · Score: 1
  
  You're missing the point. The point isn't that he rigged the election - the point is that he STOLE all those passwords. If he'd just rigged the election then, fuck yeah, kick his ass out of school. But he didn't just rig the election, he stole the passwords from an assload of students. That, right there, is a crime (and is a justified crime, not some bullshit crime that shouldn't be a criminal act) and that's why he's sitting in jail for... Well, probably 6 to 9 months realistically.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
7. Re:I'm more surprised... by gl4ss · 2013-07-19 20:49 · Score: 1
  
  well obviously they should be a bit more jaded - and being computer savvy they should understand that either they have no voting confideliaty at all or their computer voting system is rigged.
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
8. Re:I'm more surprised... by Seumas · 2013-07-19 21:18 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry, but I simply can't agree that it should be a crime punishable by prison time. As I posted elsewhere, what he did with the passwords absolutely has to weigh in on the impact of his crime and the extent of his punishment. If he used these stolen logins to commit serious crimes and do serious harm to students, then by all means, stick him in jail. ... but rigging a shitty school election? What is wrong with expulsion by the school and community service by the state? *Maybe* with a year of probation or something.
  This kind of heavy handed "but he broke a law ermagherd, throw the book at him!" bullshit is exactly the same kind of bullshit that ends up with someone doing prison time for innocently (and out of curiosity) using nmap.
9. Re:I'm more surprised... by Seumas · 2013-07-19 21:38 · Score: 1
  
  By the way, I should clarify that I'm not saying "good on this kid" for perpetrating this, exactly, but good on him for treating it as the joke that it is (because you know how fucking painfully seriously much of the student body of many schools -- not even just colleges) take the whole student government bullshit.
10. Re:I'm more surprised... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 02:23 · Score: 0
  
  And if you were to install keyloggers and steal passwords from your co-workers in a company instead of a university, should it also be OK?
11. Re:I'm more surprised... by KGIII · 2013-07-20 02:51 · Score: 1
  
  Good on him for screwing up his life by attempting to steal $8000 and going to jail - ruining his entire life? You've got some strange ethics.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
12. Re:I'm more surprised... by KGIII · 2013-07-20 02:55 · Score: 1
  
  I'd have given him probation, as I mentioned, but attempting to rig an election by stealing credentials AND get $8000 for his trouble is certainly criminal. This isn't trivial. This deserves punishment. Assuming it is his first offense I'd say any time in jail is a bit much UNLESS he violates probation or fails to finish the many many hours of community service I'd sentence him to if I were the judge. But this is hardly trivial and you know it.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
13. Re:I'm more surprised... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 03:50 · Score: 0
  
  The kid will likely be out in three months anyway if this was his first offence.
14. Re:I'm more surprised... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 07:02 · Score: 0
  
  IIRC, someone complained to IT because they couldn't vote as a result of his actions. I can't remember if it was because her vote was already cast or because his login locked her out of logging in at the same time.
15. Re:I'm more surprised... by KGIII · 2013-07-20 08:12 · Score: 1
  
  I guessed six to nine in another post. We should set up some sort of bet over how long he'll be in for amusement.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
16. Re:I'm more surprised... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-21 03:15 · Score: 0
  
  If you don't have the skills to hack from a zombie you don't have the skills to hack. Careful where the zombie comes from. Lots of votes from Ukraine wouldn't have helped this dude much. Might have kept him out of jail.
Re:College student governments actually do have po by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 14:20 · Score: 3, Funny

As an example a state university in florida will have 20-30000 students and a student government budget in the millions. A budget bigger than some small cities.
Holy fuck, that's a huge variance! I wish I was one of the twenty, though. Unless there were only twenty because global warming flooded Florida.
[I know he meant 20k-30k]
Not allowed on kids stuff: by MobSwatter · 2013-07-19 14:20 · Score: 2, Insightful

You can only rig real politics and get away with it.
1. Re:Not allowed on kids stuff: by KGIII · 2013-07-19 20:47 · Score: 1
  
  And, to add to this, you NEVER do it yourself. You always have someone else do it so that the blame doesn't fall on you. You keep a few degrees of separation just to ensure your continued career should your actions be found out. Then, after all, it wasn't YOU but it was some overzealous supporter who unfortunately felt the need to break the law because they thought it would help you out and you regret that they did that and you're glad that it didn't actually have any real impact. And you smile nice for the camera...
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
2. Re:Not allowed on kids stuff: by Seumas · 2013-07-19 21:19 · Score: 1
  
  It wasn't me, man. I can't be accountable for what some PAC does in my name! :D
NSA election rigging by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 14:52 · Score: 1

I doubt it will be long before we see leaks of NSA election rigging, there's already a few dodgy ones, Spanish leader resigning over leaked SMS's, NZ leader stepped down over leaked emails, in lots of cases, the new guy is a US poodle.
So I wonder how many times their black ops has been involved in US politics (well apart from the Nixon years, and Reagan and his Iran arms sales, and probably Bush and the dodgy Florida election since his dad is ex CIA chief.
1. Re: NSA election rigging by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 17:07 · Score: 0
  
  NSA DOES SIGINT. At least blame the right agency for your stupid delusions, it would be the CIA in this case.
  The intelligence community's biggest problem is that people are stupid... /sigh
2. Re:NSA election rigging by Seumas · 2013-07-19 21:36 · Score: 1
  
  Not really an NSA thing. The CIA, however, has rigged and/or heavily (and shadily) rigged many elections abroad. That isn't a closely guarded secret.
3. Re:NSA election rigging by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 21:56 · Score: 0
  
  Well, it will be just foreign elections with a possible outcome hostile to the interests of the U.S. that are getting rigged.
  Then we'll include states like Florida or Arizona that are just one hop away from foreign countries: after all, all those immigrants are polluting the poll booths once they managed to hold fast a few generations. Then we'll extend this like the "border search" doctrine to every state within a hundred miles of an international airport.
  National security is not to be taken lightly. The U.S. can't hope to prevail over the anarchy and unreliability of voters: its citizens deserve stability. Just imagine that liberals get even a single term and delete decades worth of recorded phone conversations, call data, Emails and whatever. Well, if they get to hear about them, that is.
bush rigged the florida and ohio election by Joe_Dragon · 2013-07-19 14:57 · Score: 0

in ohio the people who made the voteing systems where big GOP backers.
His response: by AnotherAnonymousUser · 2013-07-19 15:16 · Score: 1

"That would be impressive, except if you would have known what you were looking for, you would have seen it written on my dorm room window."
I Reckon He Learned A Very Important Lesson by Greyfox · 2013-07-19 15:22 · Score: 1

About not getting caught.

--
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
1. Re:I Reckon He Learned A Very Important Lesson by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 03:17 · Score: 1
  
  10+ years too late.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
On his way by J'raxis · 2013-07-19 15:48 · Score: 1

And if only he hadn't gotten caught, he'd be on his way to federal office in no time.

--
Liberty in your lifetime
what about the voteing death penalty by Joe_Dragon · 2013-07-19 15:49 · Score: 1

what about the voteing death penalty where you lose the right to vote for life.
so.... by wbr1 · 2013-07-19 15:58 · Score: 2, Insightful

Aaron Swartz hacks for the dissemination of information. Gets browbeaten and threatned with so much time he kills himself.
This guy hack for only his own good and gets a year. Nice to know where our prosecutors priorities are.

--
Silence is a state of mime.
1. Re:so.... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 16:59 · Score: 0
  
  Swartz wasn't guilty of a crime
2. Re:so.... by DerekLyons · 2013-07-19 17:01 · Score: 1
  
  Nice to know where our prosecutors priorities are.
  A completely different set of prosecutors. But hey, why let facts get in the way of a good whine.
3. Re:so.... by mysidia · 2013-07-19 17:29 · Score: 2
  
  Aaron Swartz hacks for the dissemination of information. Gets browbeaten and threatned with so much time he kills himself. This guy hack for only his own good and gets a year. Nice to know where our prosecutors priorities are.
  Wait... Aaron Swartz didn't hack at all. He had privileges (JSTOR account) that allowed him to access the information he did; his crime was an "abuse" in the form of "overuse"; as in, he downloaded a "large number of articles"; instead of a small number of articles he was intended to be downloading.
  No doubt he was prosecuted based on a corporate agenda of controlling information. There was no corporate hand, or 'billions$ in intellectual property at stake' in the California case, though
4. Re:so.... by Seumas · 2013-07-19 17:46 · Score: 1
  
  You take school elections way too seriously. They aren't even worth taking a shit on.
5. Re:so.... by LF11 · 2013-07-19 20:16 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  The particular prosecutor in Aaron Swartz's case (Carmen Ortiz) is a real problem child. She's the one who tried to steal Rus Caswell's motel here in Massachusetts under drug laws even though he was completely innocent of any crime. There are a few sordid items from her career.
6. Re:so.... by b4upoo · 2013-07-19 20:21 · Score: 2
  
  Although the tactics used were unreasonable the individual remains the one who decided to commit suicide. There is usually no way to know if you are dealing with a person whose grasp of life is positive. When people are depressed they can kill themselves over the slightest, momentary, occurrence. We will never know how the charges and trial would have played out.
7. Re:so.... by thegarbz · 2013-07-19 20:56 · Score: 0
  
  The prosecution is consistent.
  Pirate one $1 song. Get a squillion dollar fine.
  Rig elections for $8000 cash. Get 1yr in prison.
  Steal untold millions in lost potential revenue from the content cartels. Get royally screwed.
  The only problem is the prosecution still doesn't understand the difference between US dollars and the content industry monopoly money that is "lost revenues".
8. Re:so.... by gl4ss · 2013-07-19 21:01 · Score: 1
  
  You take school elections way too seriously. They aren't even worth taking a shit on.
  so? it's still X counts of identity theft and computer hacking. bundle them up like aarons charges and it's forever in the pen for the guy..
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
9. Re:so.... by Seumas · 2013-07-19 21:34 · Score: 1
  
  And that is exactly the problem with our society. Instead of allowing judges and juries to perform the function they exist for, we want to say that some dipshit stealing 259 passwords to vote in a meaningless school event is the same as stealing 259 people's identities (and though I know this isn't the legal definition, I have a hard time calling it identity theft if what he "took" can't be used to open up lines of credit or acquire state identifications in their names) is exactly as bad as if he were a hardened criminal running an identity theft crime ring or breaking into the Pentagon. We don't want people thinking rationally or using context. We want to say "they violated this certain law and therefore must be punished for the lightest outcome of that crime as if he had actually produced the most hideous potential of that crime".
  Yes, the guy is a dipshit and he should be punished, but I have a hard time justifying taking away one or two percent of a human being's life for something that happened on a school campus and only impacted school activities. How would expulsion, community service, and some probation not be adequate?
  Let's remember, while we are suddenly treating this guy like a hardened criminal, society (and colleges) otherwise treat college kids as these precious defenseless darlings that can't function on their own and need our help. There have to be special programs and rules about drinking, even though they're all adults and they still get money from mom and dad to pay for laundry soap and ramen and they often live on campus and are generally treated like they are *not* adults and are *not* part of society, yet.
10. Re:so.... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 01:50 · Score: 0
  
  Don't go there. Aaron was crashing research systems that people like me use, and interfering with my peer's dissertations and research, and he *wouldn't stop*. MIT has a lot of people who explore and occasionally break things in the process of learning about them, and we accept that as part of the risk of really exploring the world. But Aaron *kept going back* to do this, even after the MIT computer personnel interfered with their own user's ease of access to discourage him.
  If he wanted to be all political and "freedom of information" he should have done it from his own office at Harvard. Aaron was in the MIT baseemnt to steal, and to steal wholesale. He *deserved* jail time, because this the *third* time he'd gotten caught trying to rip off websites wholesale, and he'd increased his scale of theft enormously. (The documents may have all been public domain, or not, but *organization* of them into well organized indices and linked content was what Aaron was stealing.)
11. Re:so.... by Antique+Geekmeister · 2013-07-20 02:01 · Score: 2
  
  I'm afraid that Aaron did "hack". MIT apparently started requiring logins for JSTOR access when the amount of downloaded material started interfering with JSTOR's servers, and Aaron snuck past the logins and the MAC address logging that was attempted to throttle the traffic. It's not deeply sophisticated hacking, but it's certainly applying computer insights to allow access that has been denied and to evade detection.
Was he liberal or conservative? by marcgvky · 2013-07-19 16:00 · Score: 1

Just Curious
1. Re:Was he liberal or conservative? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 16:08 · Score: 0
  
  Only liberals rig elections, didn't you hear?
2. Re:Was he liberal or conservative? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 16:26 · Score: 0
  
  Just curious. Which prejudgment do you hold?
3. Re:Was he liberal or conservative? by Seumas · 2013-07-19 17:47 · Score: 1
  
  Was he liberal or conservative?
  Yes.
4. Re:Was he liberal or conservative? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 05:12 · Score: 0
  
  He is conservative, a registered Republican and a member of the College Republicans.
5. Re:Was he liberal or conservative? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 07:05 · Score: 0
  
  Why? Do you need to know before you can decide to condemn or praise the guy?
6. Re:Was he liberal or conservative? by marcgvky · 2013-07-20 14:25 · Score: 1
  
  The guy is a douche. But in my recent experience, I have only heard of people stuff ballot boxes (and the like) for left-leaning candidates (i.e. the recent convictions in Ohio, etc.).
Re:College student governments actually do have po by EmperorArthur · 2013-07-19 16:26 · Score: 1

As an example a state university in florida will have 20-30000 students and a student government budget in the millions. A budget bigger than some small cities.
Holy fuck, that's a huge variance! I wish I was one of the twenty, though. Unless there were only twenty because global warming flooded Florida.
[I know he meant 20k-30k]
Modded you funny. You earned it.
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[Well, I would if I had mod points.]

--
So lets pretend that we've just completed writing this code, as opposed to having just completed sabotaging it -Altera
And Bush is still free. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 17:00 · Score: 0

1 year in prison for rigging a student election, and not one conviction for all of the voting irregularities that went on during the Bush elections. Honestly, this is from the country that considers marijuana worse then heroine, so it's not that surprising.
Because these people are special by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 18:42 · Score: 0

they are kosher zionists. Look up "sayanim".
(Don't use Google. Use Yahoo or better yet, Baidu. Google is part of the Zionist NSA network, check their founders background.)
No worries by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 18:48 · Score: 0

Obama will grant him a full pardon, and a job in his Administration.
It is not a prison sentence for rigging elections by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 19:34 · Score: 0

It is not a prison sentence for rigging elections, it is for wire fraud.
the problem with politics by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-19 20:26 · Score: 0

is the wrong people are attracted to it.
Re:College student governments actually do have po by voss · 2013-07-19 22:44 · Score: 1

I would have modded you funny too....but that would get rid of my comment...and create a temporal paradox ;-)
Seized it, I say! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2013-07-20 03:38 · Score: 1

A university police officer arrested Weaver and seized his bag

I thought only TSA agents did that.
Oh wait, n/m. I gotcha.

--
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Sum Ting Wong by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 04:59 · Score: 0

Wa Yu Do
Ho Rei Fuk
So Wang Hem
Bang Ding Ow
Only in America by runeghost · 2013-07-20 09:35 · Score: 1

Is committing vote fraud in a student election more nefarious than conspiracy to disenfranchise real voters, building insecure voting machines, torture, billions of dollars of bank fraud, or lying to Congress.
ABSURD PROSECUTION by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-20 10:42 · Score: 0

For hacking a student election?!
Whatever happened to the concept of letting the punishment fit the crime?
Even IF (I'd like to see proof) a stipend WAS involved, that stipend was never received, therefore that element is hypothetical and speculative.
Why would the prosecutor in this case even considering jail time for a pointless crime which reduces down to a figurehead title and a hypothetical minor footnote in someone's future curriculum vitae?
Only one possible explanation, prosecutors that are idiots, self-serving martinets and power-mad despots!
The only people here who deserve jail time are the police, the prosecutors, and the judge, for wasting my precious tax-dollars on nonsense like this!
Follow the money. by westlake · 2013-07-20 11:29 · Score: 1

Am I the only one surprised at the level of security for a student election?

With $8000 on the line for the winner?
Quality tune from 1994 (*cough* *cough*) by Dogtanian · 2013-07-21 01:04 · Score: 1

Dupe, dupe, dupe, Dupe of URL Dupe, dupe, Dupe of URL Yes, oh, I, I'm gonna link you Nothing can stop me now 'Cause I'm the Dupe of URL...
This was funny five years ago, it is now redundant and boring.
Oh well... I propose we go with something fresh and original. Like this, which will *never* get annoying (honest)...

Dupe dupe, dupe dupe, dupe dupe dupe... Dupey dupe dupe dupe, dupe dupe dupe

Er. well at least it's direct and to the point. (^_^)

--
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
Re:One year? by HornWumpus · 2013-07-21 03:22 · Score: 1

Hate to interfere with your fapping.
He's going to jail, not prison.

--
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'