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Harvard Bomb Hoax Perpetrator Caught Despite Tor Use

Posted by Soulskill on from the do-not-pass-go dept.

Meshach writes "The FBI has caught the student who called in a bomb threat at Harvard University on December 16. The student used a temporary anonymous email account routed through Tor, but the FBI was able to trace it (PDF) because it originated from the Harvard wireless network. He could face as long as five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He made the threat to get out of an exam."

10 of 547 comments (clear)

  1. Heckler veto by smittyoneeach · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We can either live in a future where little jackwagons can effect a denial-of-service attack on society, or
    we can spank the crap out of the idiots so that this kind of noise is minimized. Same goes for rape/hate crime hoaxes.

    --
    Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
  2. Re: "because it originated from the wireless netwo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    also, don't make false bomb threats. They're stupid

    Don't make real ones either. They're even stupider.

  3. So he was clever enough ... by Ihlosi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... to use TOR, but then gave a full confession during an "interview", throwing his right to remain silent (and to have a lawyer present during questioning) out the window?

    1. Re:So he was clever enough ... by SB9876 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He called in a bomb threat to delay taking a final. This is a dude that has already shown that he has poor decision making skills.

  4. Re:"because it originated from the wireless networ by Sockatume · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The wonderful thing about shows like CSI is that it convinces criminals to implement absurd technical defences when their crimes will almost certainly be dealt with by old-fashioned police work.

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  5. Re:Of course, he'll have affluenza by isorox · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You should look at the statistics for people who attend Harvard. 30% of their students have a family that pulls in 150k or more.

    I'm amazed it's that low.

  6. Re:Harvard by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The best Harvard students learn that you have no need to conceal your crimes if you can commit them from a position of enough influence to simply make them legal. That's where kiddo slipped up.

  7. Re:"because it originated from the wireless networ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Precisely this. Harvard keeps flow type logs, they found someone using tor. Pigs barfed on him, he cracked and confessed. The kid's a fucking retard, mostly for cranking people.

    Please, don't use Tor to harass and be an asshole.
    Real freedom fighters need Tor, not you and your lulz.

    See who else really needs Tor: https://www.torproject.org/

    And quit being assholes.

  8. Remember when this was no big deal? by goodmanj · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Remember the days when this story wouldn't even have made the local paper? Seriously, 25 years ago your average school saw one of these every few years. It headlined the school paper, the local cops investigated, but the FBI? National news? Heck no.

    Who needs terrorists when we now pay large corporations and government agencies to spread panic? Quit terrorizing the nation to protect your job security and let me know when something actually blows up.

  9. Protip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just study, it's easier.