RE: Careless Law Enforcement Computer Forensics Lacking InfoSec Expertise Causes Suicides

[Neil Dickey <neil () geol niu edu>]

"L. Adrian Griffis" <agriffis () dstsystems com> wrote in part:

> I think you are right that ultimately, the legal system needs to
> handle this sort of case within its normal processes.  But in the
> sort term, my fear is that most people have no idea just how vulnerable
> internet exposed MS Windows systems typically are.

This story appeared in "The London Daily Telegraph" two years ago
last April.

A man was found innocent in the British courts of possessing and
distributing child pornography because it was accepted that his
computer had been hacked, that some unknown person had installed
the pornography and a distribution system for it, and that the
owner hadn't known the materials were present on his system.  The
finding of innocent occurred after the defendent had spent a year
in jail awaiting trial, denied bail because the crime of which he
was accused made him a danger to the community.  During that year
he had lost his job, his wife, his children, his house, and his
car -- everything, in short.

It's a true story, and it's what can happen when the justice
system works through its "process".  This guy got processed right
properly.

I tell it around here when people ask me "just what's so bad about
being hacked?"

That's also a true story.  Horrifying, isn't it?

Best regards,

Neil Dickey, Ph.D.
Research Associate/Sysop
Geology Department
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois
60115