Student Jailed for Hacking Facebook

[Niku]

He cost the company money with the investigation and the police spent their time solving the case. If he wanted to help them improve their security he should have asked for their permission and co-operated with them. If permission is not given then leave it alone, no matter how good your intentions are. As for the punishment, I'm not the right person to decide.

[mrwingtipshoes]

How is it that anyone can vote on that pole and say "No punishment" Doing something illegal and being met with out opposition to doing so is a terrible idea and only causes to foster the idea that it is ok.

[Deleted]

It's different to physically remove $1mil from a bank vault (you probably had to break some stuff too), than to steal information. A much better comparison would be to somehow gain access to a law firm's records and copy information.

[minro]

It's different to physically remove $1mil from a bank vault (you probably had to break some stuff too), than to steal information. A much better comparison would be to somehow gain access to a law firm's records and copy information.

No it isn't. In your case, the law firm would have to have all of the doors, windows, and locks open with all the lights on in the building for it to work in your hypothetical. Along with neon signs pointing directly where he needed to go. Not the case here at all.

Also, information is a currency nowadays. Its exactly like breaking into a vault.

[Deleted]

I'd say Community Service. if he keeps doing so he should get a higher penalty

[Darkchickens]

I guess it was easier to commit an illegal crime instead of telling Facebook how to fix their problems.

[chadwix]

Community service, no one was harmed.

[Archangel Tyrael]

I hacked you to protect you dude, don't worry.

hm...

[Gandrake]

I don't know, I'm a little conflicted.

On one side, he didn't really do anything that harmed anyone. I feel like 8 months in jail is overkill, but he should definitely be subject to punishment that would strongly discourage taking such actions again in the future.

I'd probably sentence him to being an in-home nurse or something, with the alternative of spending 8 months in jail

[Paulosio]

Duh, he should be banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday.

Precedent has already been set.

United States Government vs. Dade Murphy (1988).

He is already 26 though...

[Deleted]

Ehm..Where's the option to give him a job instead?
I dunno, but if some kid hacked my million-something company (prob worth more, but meh) I'd wanna hire that kid and let him hack away on it while pointing out how he does it. So that the security can be improved and thus the customer information.

[Vynistra]

Duh, he should be banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday.

Precedent has already been set.

United States Government vs. Dade Murphy (1988).

Please excuse me, hacking OTV atm.

[Paulosio]

I don't know, I'm a little conflicted.

On one side, he didn't really do anything that harmed anyone. I feel like 8 months in jail is overkill, but he should definitely be subject to punishment that would strongly discourage taking such actions again in the future.

I'd probably sentence him to being an in-home nurse or something, with the alternative of spending 8 months in jail

He cost facebook and UK / US law enforcement a lot of money.

"Facebook spent $200,000 (£126,400) dealing with Mangham's crime, which triggered a "concerted, time-consuming and costly investigation" by the FBI and British law enforcement, Mr Patel said"

[jackofwind]

He broke the law, and didn't come forward until they had caught him already. He didn't immediately show them the security flaw, which calls into question his actual motives.

If I rob a bank and the bank realizes they're missing money, then they catch me while I'm hiding with the money and I say "Yeah I stole this money to show you how lax your safe security is, here have it back and don't prosecute me please", they'd tell me I was lying through my teeth and I'd go to jail for robbing the bank. There is no justification for breaking a law simply to prove a point that could easily be proven legally.


To those saying they'd hire him - would you really hire him once he'd cost you a ton of money, stolen your property with no intention of returning it, and forced you to catch him before feeding you a story about doing it for your own good? Because I wouldn't want a weasel like that anywhere near my company.

It's one thing to show how something can be hacked and/or is weak - it's another to hack something and try to get away with information theft, then change your story when you get caught because you didn't hide well enough.

[chadwix]

Ehm..Where's the option to give him a job instead?
I dunno, but if some kid hacked my million-something company (prob worth more, but meh) I'd wanna hire that kid and let him hack away on it while pointing out how he does it. So that the security can be improved and thus the customer information.

Some companys (sony/facebook) would rather hide the holes than acknowledging them. Microsoft hires these guys and fix the problem, which is better for me a customer.

"To those saying they'd hire him - would you really hire him once he'd cost you a ton of money, stolen your property with no intention of returning it, and forced you to catch him before feeding you a story about doing it for your own good? Because I wouldn't want a weasel like that anywhere near my company. "

Your going to hate the real world, you have to deal with people you dont like on a dialy basis. This is common practice though, these guys are basically sending in job applications each time. Real criminals actually steal stuff, these guys dont cross that line.

[Deleted]

I hacked you to protect you dude, don't worry.

hm...

well you could hack them to show that they have security flaw, that would be like pointing out to someone their door isnt locked, but hacking and taking something is like breaking into someones house, stealing something to show them they have a security flaw

[jackofwind]

Some companys (sony/facebook) would rather hide the holes than acknowledging them. Microsoft hires these guys and fix the problem, which is better for me a customer.

"To those saying they'd hire him - would you really hire him once he'd cost you a ton of money, stolen your property with no intention of returning it, and forced you to catch him before feeding you a story about doing it for your own good? Because I wouldn't want a weasel like that anywhere near my company. "

Your going to hate the real world, you have to deal with people you dont like on a dialy basis. This is common practice though, these guys are basically sending in job applications each time. Real criminals actually steal stuff, these guys dont cross that line.

Are you just choosing to ignore the part where this guy actually stole stuff? Because he did, and the only reason he gave it up was because he got caught - he didn't give it up willingly. "These guys" are clearly not what we're talking about, and you'd do best to lose the snarky attitude and actually read what you're discussing before throwing your e-peen down.

I've been living in the real world for a long time, and as someone whose job directly deals with copyright issues in regards to design professions (architecture, engineering, landscape architecture), I have a lot of experience with the theft of information and intellectual property. I would suggest that it's you who needs to get with those of us on the other side of your 'real world' example - we don't like it when criminals steal our shit.

[Archangel Tyrael]

well you could hack them to show that they have security flaw, that would be like pointing out to someone their door isnt locked, but hacking and taking something is like breaking into someones house, stealing something to show them they have a security flaw

is what i meant.

[Smeeh]

If you're going to use this analogy, it'd be like stealing 1 million dollars from the bank then going up to the manager with the entire sum in a bag and giving it back saying, "Your safe sucks, and this is why:" which, imo, shouldn't be punished.

It doesnt really matter if he "gave it back" he still hacked the site and stole information, stealing is stealing, end of

[Leonidas]

Glad he got caught. He can watch the progression of internet security from his eight-by-eight cell.