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Photobucket Hackers Nabbed, Face Serious Charges From US Authorities

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement released Friday that two men, Brandon Bourret, and Athanasios Andrianakis, of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Sunnyvale, California, respectively, were arrested for their sale of software designed to breach the security of photo-sharing site Photobucket.com; their "Photofucket" app, says the linked Register report, was used "to plunder Photobucket's users' private and password-protected information, images and videos, it has been alleged ... The charge sheet against Bourret and Andrianakis details one count of conspiracy and one count of computer fraud, aid and abet – both of which carry a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000. In addition, the men stand accused of two counts of access device fraud, which carries a higher prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to a quarter of a million dollars, per count." The indictment, filed in Federal District Court in Colorado, is far easier to read than many.

85 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Hacking a big corporation is like murder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I believe their "hack" was just guessing (common) filenames on urls, trying them and moving to the next guess.

  2. When is the NSA going to be held accountable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "...their "Photofucket" app, says the linked Register report, was used "to plunder Photobucket's users' private and password-protected information, images and videos, it has been alleged .."

    Sounds exactly like any one of the many NSA programs that have been pointed out over the past year after Snowden relased info.

    1. Re:When is the NSA going to be held accountable? by SumDog · · Score: 1

      Exactly what I was thinking. None of those people are in jail. Congress hasn't done a damn thing....probably because the spy program benefits the federal government greatly in expanding the American Empire.

  3. "Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The assets in question were not "protected" by passwords, they were stored on publicly accessible and easily guessable URLs. I mean, if by protected by password they mean anyone without the password could take common camera file names and type in an easily guessable URL without the password then well ya.
     

    1. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It may not be wise to not protect yourself from stupid thugs, and their little exploit as expected, was neither ingenious, nor damaging in and of itself. What was unexpected was that morons that pound away at keyboards don't think conspiring to commit a crime, fully intending to cause damage aren't smart enough to know that the law treats assholes like criminals and criminals like assholes. I expect to hear the full range of liberal excuses offered in defense of these jerks, but it won't mitigate the next couple of years these sociopaths spend learning that acting like a like a stooge has consequences.
      Ask Hillary Clinton what Bill is most famous for. Ask anyone. See what I mean? Being a stooge comes at a price.

    2. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Sqr(twg) · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So, the question is: Is it illegal to issue HTTP GET requests (that conform to all specifications and obey the robots.txt of the site in question) if the owner of the site didn't intent for the content at that URL to be available to you?

      In other words: Is requesting a (non password-protected) webpage equivalent to representing yourself as someone who is authorized to access than page?

    3. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The question is not how bad the security has to be. If you put up a "no entry" sign but otherwise don't lock your doors, it's still trespassing. If it is clear that the pages are supposed to be private, accessing them is illegal regardless of how lame the security is.

      Unlisted pages that are marked as private by the user are clearly not supposed to be public. These guys advertised the software as being able to access private pages. It's pretty cut and dry.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    4. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by mrbester · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Enough with this shit about "trespass". Property laws ate irrelevant. If a page is publicly available then it is public. If it isn't meant to be public then the onus is on the provider to make it private as in contrast to your house, the web is default public by design.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    5. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Sqr(twg) · · Score: 3, Informative

      What if the sign doesn't say "no entry", but instead "feel free to request any URL that you want" ?

    6. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      By that logic you're guilty of "trespassing" if your browser, even without your interaction, loads a picture from one such area. So all a shyster has to do is send you a mail with such an image attached, your average "modern" mail client loads the pic when you preview the mail (or, worse, again without your interaction) and the next mail you get from him is a cease and desist letter (with a friendly "please pay this sum to settle this out of court" note attached).

      Let's be grateful that the average lawyer who resorts to such practices isn't any better at IT than he is at law.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      While this is true, it doesn't seem to matter in "computer security" cases. I think in part because "a jury of your peers" is not what you get, a jury of my peers would know how HTTP works, instead you get a jury of users who don't know the difference between HTTP and HTTPS and the lawyers spinning the story to make the company in to a victim even though all the fault falls on them.

    8. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      So is it trespass if you put up a "no entry" sign, and someone reads your house number from the street?

    9. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by tomhath · · Score: 1

      Property laws ate irrelevant. If a page is publicly available then it is public.

      If I can break the window of your car and pop the trunk open, does that make your laptop "publicly available" for me to take?

    10. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by tomhath · · Score: 1

      Trespassing means entering without the owner's permission; whether it was done intentionally or not doesn't matter.

      So GP's logic is correct.

    11. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The law isn't that dumb, it's clearly different if you accidentally stumble into an area you are not supposed to be in, or the warning sign isn't visible or whatever. That's clearly not what happened here though, these guys knew what they were doing. It was the only purpose of their software.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    12. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      And now you try to convince a judge and a jury who can't tell one from the other. Good luck. I mean it.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    13. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by mrbester · · Score: 1

      Cars are public? Didn't think so.

      Even if someone else popped the trunk, the car is still private. And this still has nothing to do with accessing a public URL.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    14. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by TWX · · Score: 1

      So is it a crime to find a book or magazine in a huge library that isn't listed in the public library's card catalog system?

      As I see it, if all they're doing is changing URLs to see what they find, that's what they're doing. Finding something that's in the public library, but not in the catalog.

      Posting content on the Internet is publishing. Lots of content on the Internet is indexed by search engines or by the websites that publish it themselves, but not all of it is. If the content is accessible without prompting the requestor for a username and password, then it has been published where everyone could reach it.

      If the victims didn't want their content seen, then they shouldn't have published it to the Internet. If they wanted it seen by only a few people, then they should have saved it somewhere that requires authentication in order to gain access to the content.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    15. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Agreed, these "private property" analogies fall apart badly. I could easily say something stupid like "If I put a sign on my house that says 'Do not look at my house under penalty of law.' and there is no fence or anything", is it enforcable? Of course not.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    16. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by MoaDweeb · · Score: 1

      Balancing the budget? :-p

      --
      New Zealanders are well balanced with a chip on each shoulder. One represents Australia, the other the rest of the world
    17. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by CanEHdian · · Score: 2

      Balancing the budget? :-p

      Close, but no cigar.

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    18. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      The question is, is the line:

      robots=off

      in my ./.wgetrc file illegal?

    19. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      damn, it's in my ~/.wgetrc file. Not sure what that *other* file is for.

    20. Re:"Hacking" goes a little far here.. by just+another+AC · · Score: 1

      Ask Hillary Clinton what Bill is most famous for. Ask anyone. See what I mean?

      NOT starting a war
      NOT campaigning on ending war related atrocities by his predecessor and then changing his mind.

      That is what many people think of when they think of Bill Clinton. The guy who just did his job.
      If someone's biggest complaint about how you did a job is something not related to the job, you are doing alright.

  4. Seems a bit harsh by complete+loony · · Score: 1

    Pointing out a flaw in someone else's software should not, by itself, be a criminal act. Once the information is public, automating the exploit could be done by anyone proficient in the art.

    But selling a tool that uses the vulnerability? They crossed a line, but throwing the book at them seems a little harsh.

    --
    09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
    1. Re:Seems a bit harsh by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If you read the indictment, they did not just create the code, they actually used it themselves and showed others how to use it by demonstrating it. Now of course comes much greater consequences, their customer base is also in the firing line and they will all be turned over for a reduced sentence. This could lead to a whole bunch of crimes being exposed.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    2. Re:Seems a bit harsh by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      What do you want from us Greeks?

      Olives. Have you got anything else?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    3. Re:Seems a bit harsh by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      Olive oil isn't bad in this corner of the earth either.

    4. Re:Seems a bit harsh by antiperimetaparalogo · · Score: 1

      What do you want from us Greeks?

      Olives. Have you got anything else?

      No olives for you barbarian... only cheeseburger!

      --
      Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
    5. Re:Seems a bit harsh by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

      If you read the indictment, they did not just create the code, they actually used it themselves and showed others how to use it by demonstrating it. Now of course comes much greater consequences, their customer base is also in the firing line and they will all be turned over for a reduced sentence. This could lead to a whole bunch of crimes being exposed.

      If you remember the Aaron Barr/HBGary e-mails, which preceded the Snowden revelations by years, it was already obvious that there was a whole subculture of businesses who bought and *sold* 0-day exploits (HBGary's boss called them 'Juicy Fruits"), of course with the obvious intent of being used against non-censenting targets. So if these Photobucket guys are guilty, let's start filing suits against the dark "security businesses" of this world.

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
  5. Bigger Fish by ChadSmith4920 · · Score: 2

    So Chinese college students are reading Obama's unclassified emails and these guys are busted for hacking ebay photos. :-D

    1. Re:Bigger Fish by St.Creed · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The Chinese students were probably smart enough to do it from outside the USA's jurisdiction...

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    2. Re:Bigger Fish by Fnord666 · · Score: 2

      So Chinese college students are reading Obama's unclassified emails and these guys are busted for hacking ebay photos. :-D

      No, they were busted for selling software that let others hack eBay photos. I'm not sure how this is any different than the guy who created the website that helps you break into Master padlocks. Both have legitimate uses as well as nefarious ones.

      --
      'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
    3. Re:Bigger Fish by Fnord666 · · Score: 2

      I guess I should have read the indictment beforehand. Apparently they also hacked into Photobucket themselves and sold the access or photos to others. That's very different.

      --
      'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
  6. Huh by koan · · Score: 1

    Those penalties seem overly harsh.

    --
    "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
  7. those doods should walk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What the hell is wrong here? These guys are going to do time for an attack based on a jurrassic flaw? Isn't this crap in books on the subject with titles like "don't ever set up a website like this"!

  8. Photobucket's punishment? by hawguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How much jail time did Photobucket executives get for allowing such lax security in their app in the first place? Must be at least twice the 5 years that these two are getting. Maybe more. Right?

    1. Re: Photobucket's punishment? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Wrong car analogy. Let me fix it for you:

      If I pay you to park my car, and you leave it on the street, unlocked, with the Windows down. Then yes. You should pay damages to the owner.

    2. Re:Photobucket's punishment? by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2

      How much jail time did Photobucket executives get for allowing such lax security in their app in the first place? Must be at least twice the 5 years that these two are getting. Maybe more. Right?

      In the eyes of justice, the intention is worth more than the act.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    3. Re:Photobucket's punishment? by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2

      But if you leave your window opened, can I record from outside the music you are currently listening to?

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    4. Re: Photobucket's punishment? by NotInHere · · Score: 1

      And what if your only objective is price, and you give the keys to the shady guy who claims to offer a free service?

    5. Re: Photobucket's punishment? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Then we will laugh at you and mock you and ridicule you for being a gullible moron.

      But the shady guy still goes to jail if he gets caught.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Re:King Frosty the First by MobSwatter · · Score: 1

    I'm royal.

    So what is YOUR connection to the Spencer family? or is it just a 'royal PITA' you are accepting credit for? If so, the Hollywood fire hydrant, and duct tape is for you dude, your fantasy's fulfilled. Now go away and let the people sort this shit out.

  10. Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by future+assassin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    you get more time for hacking a corporation then you do for manslaughter.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
    1. Re:Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As should be the case. the hacking is a malicious, intentional act, with forethought and planning. Manslaughter by definition is neither intentional nor malicious and was done without forethought. One is a crime you intentionally set out to do the other is circumstance/random/accidental.

    2. Re:Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 5, Interesting

      By that definition, shoplifters should get 20-30 years. You are one fucked up individual if you think these twerps deserve what amounts to a life sentence over grabbing some nudies. Three to Five years? Sure -- but people like you who support these totalitarian policies are the reason why our country is turning into a Fascist Police State. So fuck you very much for helping to burn our freedoms to the ground you fuck.

    3. Re: Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Actually, a bank robber's ability to crack a safe amazes me heaps more than being able to crack a password. Not only are these things usually much tougher to break than passwords, it's also something I can't do, and I do admire people who have skills I lack.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re: Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      The relative length. Punishment should be on par with the crime. Else, things escalate. Allow me to give you an example.

      Time and again I hear people call for people who rape, especially if the victim is underage, to be charged like murderers. I can only say that this is a very dangerous proposition. If the charge for rape is the same as for murder, every rape victim WILL be murdered if the culprit is smart. The chance for detection goes down (one less witness) while the punishment stays the same. There would be exactly zero deterrence for a rapist from killing his victim.

      There is a reason why theft (stealing without violence) carries a lower sentence than robbery (stealing with violence or with threat thereof). While criminals usually don't really think about possible punishment in the moment of action, they do so when planning. And when my plan tells me that more violence does not lead to more punishment but less chance to be detected, more violence it is.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re: Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      If the charge for rape is the same as for murder, every rape victim WILL be murdered if the culprit is smart

      So one murder, one rape, working out to consecutive live sentences without parole is fine, and everyone committing rape/murder is thinking clearly and logically at the time.

      I think I see some holes in your logic.

    6. Re: Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      If more than "one whole lifetime" matters to you, you must be a very religious person.

      If I'm already going to jail for life once, why the fuck would I care for another sentence on top of that?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re: Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Because most murders don't result in a life sentence. So 40 years vs life * 2 would make a difference.

      Also, nobody contemplates the penalties before deliberately choosing to commit a crime, aside from corporations. Most throw a first major felony into "ruins my life" category, and the minutia of rape vs rape+murder sentencing wouldn't be a thought. Not to mention that very few crimes are committed by a first-time offender, so the problem is the prisons breeding criminals, not the "good" people acting up. And only the "good" people would consider the consequences of being caught before doing something, so the minutia of sentencing is (effectively) never taken into consideration for violent crimes.

      All calls to change sentencing for violent crimes are punitive, not prevention. And "tough on crime" makes more, not less crime, as the poorly treated convicts with no real life prospects after have no choice but a life of crime, and years of study of crime in prison, since so many want to deny them any other diversions.

    8. Re:Man talk about straight out if Sci FI by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      You are one fucked up individual if you think these twerps deserve what amounts to a life sentence over grabbing some nudies.

      The thing you need to understand is that Big Data needs us to trust that it's safe to put all our stuff on their servers. These 'twerps' erode that trust badly. How is Google going to mine our data if we don't put it out there because we've been scared off by their little brothers in the surveillance business. So obviously these guys need to be made an example of.

  11. No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    These assholes did things they had no moral right to do. They deserve to be punished because they actually committed intrusions, which is
    behavior that is fundamentally different from merely exposing a security flaw.

    To those of you who are spouting off the bullshit "moral relativism" arguments about how the NSA or Obama or some other government entity does things which are wrong "therefore anyone else who does similar stuff should not be punished" : Your thought processes are deeply in need of repair and your personal moral code is as well. A decent human being doesn't look for excuses which will justify or excuse bad behavior ; a decent human being does what is right because it is the right thing to do and avoids doing what is wrong simply because it is wrong, even if no one is watching.

    1. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      These assholes did things they had no moral right to do.

      Morality can fuck right off. What matters is Legality.

      A decent human being doesn't look for excuses which will justify or excuse bad behavior ; a decent human being does what is right because it is the right thing to do and avoids doing what is wrong simply because it is wrong, even if no one is watching

      Ah, the "no true Scotsman" fallacy alive and well I see. Pray tell, what is the 100% agreed-upon criteria amongst all people for what "right" and "moral" means?

      they actually committed intrusions

      Technically no they did not. They accessed URL's which were publicly accessible, but which were not publicly published. It's somewhat of a gray area legally, but from a purely technical viewpoint since the resources were publicly accessible with no protections the access is not really 'unauthorized'.

    2. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It hardly seems more serious than a search engine that fails to look at robots.txt and indexes content anyway.
      They went about it in kind of a nasty way, but “Unauthorized access into a secure computer system” should require at least a remedial level of security. Otherwise, I could just put up a public web site, post a bunch of "private" photos on it without publishing the links, and then watch the logs for all these unauthorized criminals to commit a federal crime by accessing them... Profit?

    3. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Punishment is not the question, what's questionable is the length of the possible punishment. How fucked up is your law that something like this can carry a two digit jail time?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      You won't play tough keyboard guy anymore with that keyboard lodged up your ass.

      sayeth Anonymous Coward.

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    5. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by turp182 · · Score: 1

      So let's punish the NSA first, because we know they have it all. And they are watching.

      Decent human beings... Insightful.

      --
      BlameBillCosby.com
    6. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Your comment is 20% less anonymous.

    7. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by CanEHdian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Welcome to the Star Trek: We're Back fan movie website!

      Episode downloads:

      1. www.strekwb.test/episode1.mp4
      2. www.strekwb.test/episode2.mp4
      3. www.strekwb.test/episode3.mp4

      Episode 4 is ready and we sent the download link to a few people who we think are better than you and get to see it first!

      You're a foul, devious, stinking criminal if you think of trying www.strekwb.test/episode4.mp4 just for the heck of it.

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    8. Re:No sympathy is deserved for these idiots. by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      I can put the line:

      robots=off

      in my ~/.wgetrc file and it will happily hoover all the data on your web server. As intended. I can even change the user agent so you don't know I am connecting with wget.

      Responsible server operators can block the IP of clients who do stuff like that. Some even block dynamically, i.e. if you're obviously mirroring their whole site they cut you off midpoint.

  12. This is a crime worse than murder by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 3, Funny

    So it only goes that they receive a fate worse than death. Place them under house arrest and block all network access except to 4chan -- which they shall be forced to moderate. To ensure they actively moderate, they will wear a shock collar around their neck which will administer increasingly painful jolts to prod them into action

    1. Re: This is a crime worse than murder by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1

      Not at all. You don't see laws revoking water and electricity as punishment. In fact, presently it's quite common -- if not standard practice to take away internet and computer access for 3 - 5 years as a condition for parole. Making the Internet a utility would end that as it would raise Constitutional challenges.

  13. sounds firmiliar by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    one count of computer fraud, aid and abet – both of which carry a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000

    that sounds familiar.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:sounds firmiliar by someone1234 · · Score: 1

      They were not too successful in selling that app. Otherwise it would be multiple counts.

      --
      Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
  14. Throwing the book by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

    Although the maximum penalties are, in my opinion, way too high I'm just happy they're not adding on the dozens of fraud, cracking, and illegal access charges I'm so used to seeing. One charge of violating each actually applicable law is a refreshing change. I wonder if this is a signal the abuse of plea bargaining and DA threats has stopped?

    --
    If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
    1. Re:Throwing the book by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I'd rather say that it's a sign the DA doesn't know how to apply those charges.

      Never attribute to sanity what can sufficiently be explained by incompetence.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  15. Re:I wonder by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1

    No, pretty soon they're going to drop the pretense and just start calling it what it is: "War on the People"

  16. Same amount you get for your lax home security by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I mean when someone breaks in to your house, you should go to jail right? After all, your home security sucks. I don't care if you think it is good, it sucks. Virtually nobody bothers with good home security.

    So you should go to jail if someone breaks in... ...or maybe you should reexamine this "blame the victim" attitude so many geeks have with regards to hacking.

    1. Re:Same amount you get for your lax home security by mrbester · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Your home is by default private. The web is by default public. The assumption that a public page is private just because it has your name on it is risible.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    2. Re:Same amount you get for your lax home security by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      If someone walks into an open store, tries on some clothes, taking photos in the fitting room, and puts everything back and leaves, is that "theft"?

  17. Not sure where you live by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2

    Here manslaughter is a Class 2 Felony. That means 4 years minimum sentence (or 3 years minimum if there are mitigating circumstances), 10 year maximum (12.5 if there are aggravating circumstances). This is presuming first time offence, and only one count. A repeat offence can bring it up to as much as 35 years.

    So no, doesn't look higher to me. Remember there's a difference between maximum and minimum. When a sentence is "up to" that means "the absolute maximum a court may sentence for a given offence." Usually, there's a fair bit of range in a sentence since the idea is a judge will consider the factors of the individual case.

    1. Re:Not sure where you live by Ramze · · Score: 1

      Depending on the state, sentences can even be active (prison time), probation, and/or community service. They can also be commuted so that the record shows you're guilty and sentenced to X years, but you serve no actual time. North Carolina has a "Prayer for Judgement Continued" option for judges to basically accept a guilty plea for even some felonies, yet give no punishment or sentence, so the person is guilty, but not convicted because a conviction requires a sentence. (This works by pleading guilty, praying for the judge to continue the judgement/sentencing at a later time - say 2 or 3 years from that date... and then the judge decides after that time not to sentence you if you have obeyed the law within that time frame.) Then, there's also deferred prosecution for first time offenders which many states have -- this lets you plead guilty to a crime, abide by certain rules, and then the prosecutor agrees not to take the case to trial and simply drops the charges after you've completed all the requirements. They then tear up your guilty plea and let you seal and/or expunge the record of your arrest, too.

  18. Re:Murder by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Don't worry, the next ones will do just that. As you said, it's "cheaper" if you get caught. And probably easier to pull off, too.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  19. Or... by sycodon · · Score: 1

    Or...It's bad enough when Obama/Bush/Hillary but here we have two yahoos who would let anyone do it.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Or... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Hillary's email server is very secure.

      They didn't have yahoo hosting it. Bill said they were too expensive.

  20. Re:I wonder by St.Creed · · Score: 1

    Of course they won't. Even Stalin and Mao never sold their mass murders as anything other than "War on {criminal flavor of the day}".

    --
    Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
  21. He does it for free by Guppy · · Score: 1

    So it only goes that they receive a fate worse than death. Place them under house arrest and block all network access except to 4chan -- which they shall be forced to moderate.

    Prisoners usually receive some token payment for their work, though. 4chan janitors do it for free.

  22. Riddle me this... by CaptainOfSpray · · Score: 1

    Why does anybody, anyone at all, still believe in this "cloud" thing? Any person or company that stores anything personal/private/confidential/valuable in "cloud space" is Just Asking For It.

    I speak as a person with 50 years experience in IT. The lesson of those years is - You cannot, must not, trust Other People with your precious jewels. The human race does not just have malicious individuals; it is 80% composed of lazy incompetents who don't pay attention and can't keep promises.

    --
    "Cock Up Your Beaver" does not mean what you think. This sig is intended to clog filters and annoy do-gooders
    1. Re:Riddle me this... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      The cloud deal is living, even thriving. The car and boat payments of countless fucks depend on us trusting it forevah. My company recently replaced the Exchange servers with gmail. We all had to install Chrome and we log into the googleplex each morning.

      I now use IE at work (imagine the irony in this!) for most browsing, explicitly not logged into Google, as a privacy practice.

  23. Re:Uhuh by MobSwatter · · Score: 1

    Alrighty then, what would be your reasoning for the implementation of fascism and the resulting wide spread corruption?

  24. Re:Uhuh by MobSwatter · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I'm a 'wingnut' alright... the OXCART type, but I support the non military application of it..

  25. Re:Don't Take My Shit by mrbester · · Score: 1

    Put your shit on a publicly accessible site? Fuck you if you have a problem with people accessing it.

    The web doesn't belong to you. The server your shit is on doesn't belong to you. If you don't want personal stuff being publicly accessible don't have it somewhere that enables that.

    Fuck off with your "mine" schoolyard bullshit. You're like the tossers who think Twitter is a private chatroom with invites for participation who have the nerve to get annoyed that their conversations can be interrupted by anybody with an account.

    --
    "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
  26. Photofucket by eulernet · · Score: 1

    From what I read there: http://photofucket.software.in...

    It appears that Photofucket is a backup tool for downloading pictures from your Photobucket account, if you have the login/password.

    Otherwise, it will simply bruteforce all urls (probably by using counters with base filenames) in order to grab the pictures.

    Unless they collected the passwords entered by their users, I don't see any crime here, except the offensive name for Photobucket.
    WTF ?

  27. Re:I wonder by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

    What do you mean, 'Even Stalin'? His acts were as mainstream as it gets at the time, and the people running the Western Media were enthusiastic about covering it up.

    Mao had a very closed up environment to work in. Western Journalists weren't touring through China in useful idiot mode during the worst of his atrocities, like the dupes in Russia.