Re: Major hack attack on the U.S. Senate

[Kevin Reardon <Kevin.Reardon () oracle com>]

Actually what they did was illegal regardless of the cause.  Hopefully 
they realized that storing anything on a shared piece of hardware will 
subject it to the possibility of attacks due to human failure.  Human 
failure is a major contributor to computer exploits and the one constant 
in the considerations for computer security.

---K

Brian C. Lane wrote:

> On Thu, 2004-01-22 at 09:25, Richard M. Smith wrote:
>  
>
> > http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/22/infiltration_of_files_
> > seen_as_extensive?mode=PF
> >
> > Infiltration of files seen as extensive
> > Senate panel's GOP staff pried on Democrats
> > By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff, 1/22/2004
> >
> > WASHINGTON -- Republican staff members of the US Senate Judiciary Commitee
> > infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy
> > memos and periodically passing on copies to the media, Senate officials told
> > The Globe.
> >
> >    
>
> [snip]
>
> You left off the most important fact in your snip. The final paragraph
> pretty well sums it up:
>
> "A technician hired by the new judiciary chairman, Patrick Leahy,
> Democrat of Vermont, apparently made a mistake that allowed anyone to
> access newly created accounts on a Judiciary Committee server shared by
> both parties -- even though the accounts were supposed to restrict
> access only to those with the right password."
>
> I sure wouldn't call this a major hack attack. Someone goofed. Someone
> else took advantage of the goof (and according to some reports even
> reported it to the bonehead technician).
>
> One one hand you really shouldn't look at someone else's files. On the
> other hand if you're cooking up dirty tricks you darn well ought to make
> sure your memos are protected, not stored in the clear on a shared
> system.
>
> And these are the jokers who want to dictate to us how to secure the
> Internet and stop SPAM? Heh!
>
> Brian
>
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>