funsec mailing list archives

Google Helps Bumbling Burglars Steal $12K


From: "Paul Ferguson" <fergdawg () netzero net>
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 05:06:06 GMT

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Via The Colorado Springs Gazette (props, Google Watch).

[snip]

The two burglars had door keys, pass codes and combinations for the safes
at a Colorado Springs indoor amusement center.

But when it came to actually opening a combination lock, they did what most
of us do when we’re stumped — they called Google to the rescue.

The burglary at Bigg City, formerly Mr. Bigg’s Family Fun Center, turned
into a comedy of errors early June 10. The burglars tried to disable a
security camera by repeatedly spraying it with WD-40 — it only cleaned
the lens — and spent an hour and 15 minutes trying to open three safes,
apparently unaware that some types require the dial to be turned two or
three times.

They finally did a Google search for “how to open a safe” and “how to
crack a safe” on a computer in the next room.

“They’re not professional safe people,” said Colorado Springs police
detective Chuck Ackerman. “No, they’re not.”

On the other hand, the Google query apparently worked: The burglars
haven’t been caught, and they did get about $12,000.

[snip]

More:
http://www.gazette.com/articles/safes_24620___article.html/ackerman_google.
html

Enjoy. :-)

- - ferg

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--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg(at)netzero.net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/


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