Let me first start by saying that I'm not a regular/. poster. I follow/. occasionally, but I might be able to shed some light on this topic. See, I know all of the students involved. Actually, I can go further, I looked over the list of equipment and proposed wiring before it was even put into place. Maybe, just maybe, I can answer some of the questions posted in this forum.
1.) The Install:
The initial run was an estimated 260' of Cat-5 to an Ethernet port jack in an abandoned computer lab. (The lab was abandoned because a 'new' lab was installed this past fall. A lab with 8 'new' 486 based and P90 machines, of which only 3 are operable. The cable was run from the ceiling of the public access room, out a window, up to a second floor window and into a DUMB HUB (Linksys 10/100 hub series EFAH08W if you really must know) and sent out to all points from there. Additional 10/100 Linksys DUMB HUBS were used to distribute it. If you must know, the current wiring in the hall, runs from the Ethernet jack, into a 3Com router, which is uplinked to a 3com switch, that sits on a fiber. (It's pretty bad when a phone call to the right people gets the infrastructure...says something about internal security.)
2.) Fees and additional charges:
A technology fee is assessed to ALL students. It grants them access to ANY general computing lab, AND allows them to jack into any open Ethernet port on campus. (There are open ports around the tables in the new commons areas of the Student Union and in the renovated Classroom building.) The $24 fee argument in the O'Colly article isn't valid. The $24 difference between Willham and Kerr-Drummond hall WILL NOT BE CHARGED next year. In ENGLISH: That charge is NOT for Ethernet access.
3.) Who Turned Them in? :
Officially, nobody will comment, but her own staff has ratted her out. Hall Director, Jackie Bolin phoned high level officials about the 'violations', violating her chain of command. Staff members said a warning was issued, by officials, to Bolin to have the cable removed and students warned, but she specifically informed members of her staff to NOT relay the message to the students. So, none of the students were EVER warned about the infraction, as the police report stated. As it stands, Bolin has denied the students access to the hall judiciary process known as 'J-Board', and has been attempting to apply disciplinary actions, before the guilt of the parties charged is assessed. Bolin also forced Wolcott and Pyeatt out of their jobs as hall desk clerks. Bolin's conduct in general and in this situation has led students in her residence hall to circulate a petition to ask for her removal. You might notice that it was not CIS that discovered the new node on the network.
4.) Network Usage:
Two of the students were MIS majors, the remaining two were Grad students. The connection was primarily used for research, email, and homework. At one time over 13 people were connected to the 'illegal' network. NO SERVERS were running. No 'hacking' or 'illegal' activity was taking place. Over 20 different residents used computers attached to the 'illegal' network to access email, homework, and research as well.
5.) The Investigation:
Can you imagine a computer-oriented investigation in Oklahoma? It was a joke. The first day, Sean Ensz, the investigator, asked a lot of REALLY DUMB questions and confiscated the 8-port hub without a warrant (Leaving the network cards and the cables). This guy didn't have a CLUE, from the start the university was looking for a hacker case. They're really into this. Several weeks prior to this incident, they arrested a group of students for illegal Mp3 distribution and running an illegal server. They're trying to be cyber-crime fighters, I guess. Anyway, a couple days later Ensz brings over some CIS guy who doesn't have a clue, and they proceed, to turn on the student's computers and run winipcfg for the MAC address and IP numbers. (A little more O-State network info, an IP number is checked out from the DHCP server to a MAC address for a set number of days.) This guy had a list of suspected IP numbers he's trying to match. When he couldn't find a match, he gets a number that's close, scratches out the last two unit numbers and pencils in one of the student's. GUILTY. Now this Ensz guy starts calling students, trying to figure out who wired the connection. (Even I don't know who did the work) By now the student's realize that the university is out to prove something, on the advice of a lawyer, they quit cooperating. Then the shit hits the fan. Within days, a search warrant it served on all four students, and the university confiscates all but one of the network cards. Days later they get the rude wake up call. An interesting fact about the arrest was that the officers only tried to arrest 2 of the students. The 3 male students were within 4 doors of each other.
6.) The arrests:
8:00A.M. Officers woke up Wolcott and Voss. They told them to get dressed, and handcuffed them. They took them to the county courthouse where they were strip searched and dressed in orange coveralls. They placed them in a holding cell with 2 other offenders for 5 hours. They were charged with "Unauthorized Access of A University Network" and released on P.R. bond. The other two students turned themselves in and were processed that day.
7.) Media Coverage:
You might remember from the Wired article in '97 that OSU was named one of the most WIRED campuses in the nation. This has attracted SOME attention. The local media has covered the incident, but to date only channel 5 TV out of Oklahoma City (who ran a live remote) and The Stillwater NewsPress, have spoken with the students. Everyone else just runs the same police notes./. is the first technical source to cover the incident. Interesting enough, channel 5's coverage included speaking with the assistant D.A., who stated the cable was a lightning hazard. The TV station ran a live feed, during a thunderstorm, and panned the cable, which was still in place after 3 weeks of the initial discovery. The next day, in a downpour, physical plant workers were under orders to 'remove the cable before anymore media coverage'.
8.) Today:
CIS has cancelled access to university accounts of the students being charged. This includes Email and NetWare Login (required to use computer labs). Pyeatt couldn't even take a quiz in one of his classes, because he could not log in. Students have to go off campus to a friend's house, who has DSL, to do homework and research. Students are incurring legal fees, and ongoing troubles associated with the case.
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Let me first start by saying that I'm not a regular /. poster. I follow /. occasionally, but I might be able to shed some light on this topic. See, I know all of the students involved. Actually, I can go further, I looked over the list of equipment and proposed wiring before it was even put into place. Maybe, just maybe, I can answer some of the questions posted in this forum.
/. is the first technical source to cover the incident. Interesting enough, channel 5's coverage included speaking with the assistant D.A., who stated the cable was a lightning hazard. The TV station ran a live feed, during a thunderstorm, and panned the cable, which was still in place after 3 weeks of the initial discovery. The next day, in a downpour, physical plant workers were under orders to 'remove the cable before anymore media coverage'.
1.) The Install:
The initial run was an estimated 260' of Cat-5 to an Ethernet port jack in an abandoned computer lab. (The lab was abandoned because a 'new' lab was installed this past fall. A lab with 8 'new' 486 based and P90 machines, of which only 3 are operable. The cable was run from the ceiling of the public access room, out a window, up to a second floor window and into a DUMB HUB (Linksys 10/100 hub series EFAH08W if you really must know) and sent out to all points from there. Additional 10/100 Linksys DUMB HUBS were used to distribute it. If you must know, the current wiring in the hall, runs from the Ethernet jack, into a 3Com router, which is uplinked to a 3com switch, that sits on a fiber. (It's pretty bad when a phone call to the right people gets the infrastructure...says something about internal security.)
2.) Fees and additional charges:
A technology fee is assessed to ALL students. It grants them access to ANY general computing lab, AND allows them to jack into any open Ethernet port on campus. (There are open ports around the tables in the new commons areas of the Student Union and in the renovated Classroom building.) The $24 fee argument in the O'Colly article isn't valid. The $24 difference between Willham and Kerr-Drummond hall WILL NOT BE CHARGED next year. In ENGLISH: That charge is NOT for Ethernet access.
3.) Who Turned Them in? :
Officially, nobody will comment, but her own staff has ratted her out. Hall Director, Jackie Bolin phoned high level officials about the 'violations', violating her chain of command. Staff members said a warning was issued, by officials, to Bolin to have the cable removed and students warned, but she specifically informed members of her staff to NOT relay the message to the students. So, none of the students were EVER warned about the infraction, as the police report stated. As it stands, Bolin has denied the students access to the hall judiciary process known as 'J-Board', and has been attempting to apply disciplinary actions, before the guilt of the parties charged is assessed. Bolin also forced Wolcott and Pyeatt out of their jobs as hall desk clerks. Bolin's conduct in general and in this situation has led students in her residence hall to circulate a petition to ask for her removal. You might notice that it was not CIS that discovered the new node on the network.
4.) Network Usage:
Two of the students were MIS majors, the remaining two were Grad students. The connection was primarily used for research, email, and homework. At one time over 13 people were connected to the 'illegal' network. NO SERVERS were running. No 'hacking' or 'illegal' activity was taking place. Over 20 different residents used computers attached to the 'illegal' network to access email, homework, and research as well.
5.) The Investigation:
Can you imagine a computer-oriented investigation in Oklahoma? It was a joke. The first day, Sean Ensz, the investigator, asked a lot of REALLY DUMB questions and confiscated the 8-port hub without a warrant (Leaving the network cards and the cables). This guy didn't have a CLUE, from the start the university was looking for a hacker case. They're really into this. Several weeks prior to this incident, they arrested a group of students for illegal Mp3 distribution and running an illegal server. They're trying to be cyber-crime fighters, I guess. Anyway, a couple days later Ensz brings over some CIS guy who doesn't have a clue, and they proceed, to turn on the student's computers and run winipcfg for the MAC address and IP numbers. (A little more O-State network info, an IP number is checked out from the DHCP server to a MAC address for a set number of days.) This guy had a list of suspected IP numbers he's trying to match. When he couldn't find a match, he gets a number that's close, scratches out the last two unit numbers and pencils in one of the student's. GUILTY. Now this Ensz guy starts calling students, trying to figure out who wired the connection. (Even I don't know who did the work) By now the student's realize that the university is out to prove something, on the advice of a lawyer, they quit cooperating. Then the shit hits the fan. Within days, a search warrant it served on all four students, and the university confiscates all but one of the network cards. Days later they get the rude wake up call. An interesting fact about the arrest was that the officers only tried to arrest 2 of the students. The 3 male students were within 4 doors of each other.
6.) The arrests:
8:00A.M. Officers woke up Wolcott and Voss. They told them to get dressed, and handcuffed them. They took them to the county courthouse where they were strip searched and dressed in orange coveralls. They placed them in a holding cell with 2 other offenders for 5 hours. They were charged with "Unauthorized Access of A University Network" and released on P.R. bond. The other two students turned themselves in and were processed that day.
7.) Media Coverage:
You might remember from the Wired article in '97 that OSU was named one of the most WIRED campuses in the nation. This has attracted SOME attention. The local media has covered the incident, but to date only channel 5 TV out of Oklahoma City (who ran a live remote) and The Stillwater NewsPress, have spoken with the students. Everyone else just runs the same police notes.
8.) Today:
CIS has cancelled access to university accounts of the students being charged. This includes Email and NetWare Login (required to use computer labs). Pyeatt couldn't even take a quiz in one of his classes, because he could not log in. Students have to go off campus to a friend's house, who has DSL, to do homework and research. Students are incurring legal fees, and ongoing troubles associated with the case.