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Any Half-Decent Hacker Could Break Into Mar-a-Lago (alternet.org)

MrCreosote writes: Properties owned and run by the Trump Organization, including places where Trump spends much of his time and has hosted foreign leaders, are a network security nightmare. From a report via ProPublica (co-published with Gizmodo): "We parked a 17-foot motor boat in a lagoon about 800 feet from the back lawn of The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and pointed a 2-foot wireless antenna that resembled a potato gun toward the club. Within a minute, we spotted three weakly encrypted Wi-Fi networks. We could have hacked them in less than five minutes, but we refrained. A few days later, we drove through the grounds of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with the same antenna and aimed it at the clubhouse. We identified two open Wi-Fi networks that anyone could join without a password. We resisted the temptation. We have also visited two of President Donald Trump's other family-run retreats, the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and a golf club in Sterling, Virginia. Our inspections found weak and open Wi-Fi networks, wireless printers without passwords, servers with outdated and vulnerable software, and unencrypted login pages to back-end databases containing sensitive information. The risks posed by the lax security, experts say, go well beyond simple digital snooping. Sophisticated attackers could take advantage of vulnerabilities in the Wi-Fi networks to take over devices like computers or smart phones and use them to record conversations involving anyone on the premises."

8 of 327 comments (clear)

  1. Working as intended by Nidi62 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Trump just wants to make sure that everyone can see we have the best cyber.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  2. Wow. You da man. Accessing a public network! by GLMDesigns · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now. Show me that you were able to do more than break into the equivalent of Starbucks public network.

    --
    If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
    Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
    1. Re:Wow. You da man. Accessing a public network! by GLMDesigns · · Score: 5, Informative

      Sorry this is a public resort. It's a golf club, public events are held there. And yes. Trump has a private residence there. I'm pretty sure there is more than one network there.

      This is analogous to Trump owning the Waldorf Hotel and having a suite there and someone hacking the hotel's public network. Big deal. Again, that's the equivalent of hacking a Starbucks.

      --
      If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
      Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
  3. Re:Heaven forbid by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There's more than just the email server. There's the destruction of evidence after getting caught. That alone is a big hint that you knew what you were doing was wrong but did it anyway and now you don't want to get caught.

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    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  4. Re:Open wifi by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes it is "just a country club". The real question you should be asking is should such a place be used for business that needs to remain secret? No governmental official should be conducting sensitive business in their home office or anywhere else.

  5. Re:Incoming law enforcement by shilly · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Most resorts and such have public WiFi.

    Most resorts are not used by the President of the United States to conduct his business.

  6. Re:Incoming law enforcement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For the same reason he has international meetings and talks about air strikes in between the main course and dessert in the completely open and unvetted surroundings of the maralago public dining room.

    Because he's a venal moron who wants government money to come directly to him.

  7. Re:Incoming law enforcement by Kierthos · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because he's an arrogant prick who thinks that he can do whatever he wants without consequences.

    --
    Mr. Hu is not a ninja.