Student Jailed for Hacking Facebook

[Bobbum man]

Stone him to death, but throw old hard drives instead of rocks.

[Guillotine811]

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).

And telephones!

[Hoticehunter]

I just stole a million dollars from the bank to prove that the security sucked.

It was a joke but only I was in on it.

Please dont jail me.

Questions?

This is kinda how I saw it. It he was actually trying to be helpful, he would have contacted Facebook and asked for permission and basically a job as a white hat hacker.
You don't just go and hack someone, take their stuff, and go "Money plz!"

[Kevyne-Shandris]

Facebook should've hired him for their IT security team, because apparently their own team didn't catch the exploit.

Usually the fate of hackers like that, they get hired as white hats later.

[Flaks]

I just stole a million dollars from the bank to prove that the security sucked.

It was a joke but only I was in on it.

Please dont jail me.

Questions?

I just stole 1 million dollars from a bank and gave it back without using a single penny to prove that its security sucked.

Please don't jail me.

Questions?

[Illuwin]

I just stole 1 million dollars from a bank and gave it back without using a single penny to prove that its security sucked.

Please don't jail me.

Questions?

No questions. You'd be justifiably thrown in jail under the same sentencing as someone who spent all of it. You broke the law, as did this young moron listed in the OP. Don't do the crime if you don't want to do the time. His sentencing sounds fine, and lenient enough to encompass the fact he didn't "do" any lasting damage.

[Adam Jensen]

It might be a different story if the company had hired him to probe their security. But he went off and did it on his own. Now he got caught and he's making shit up to try to get leniency. Now he gets to sit his ass in jail.

If he really wanted to fix the company's security, he should have gone to them and said "hey guys, there's a big gap in your security and I can break through it." Then they'd hopefully be able to do something about it.

---------- Post added 2012-02-18 at 12:31 AM ----------

I only shot a man in the face to show it could be done.

[Greeney]

It might be a different story if the company had hired him to probe their security. But he went off and did it on his own. Now he got caught and he's making shit up to try to get leniency. Now he gets to sit his ass in jail.

Please do prove that he's making the yahoo shit up. I'm interested.

If he really wanted to fix the company's security, he should have gone to them and said "hey guys, there's a big gap in your security and I can break through it." Then they'd hopefully be able to do something about it.

Crazy idea, but maybe he didn't know what he could do, maybe he tested several things to see if any actually worked. When one worked maybe he stopped going further. Maybe I said maybe one too many times.

I only shot a man in the face to show it could be done.

I once tried to be a drama queen, but I grew older than 14.

[Illuwin]

What world do you live in where it is ok to break the law, but only if you stop when you realize that illegal thing you tried to do actually worked?

[Jokerfiend]

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.

Has no one seen Catch Me If You Can?? It's about exactly this, it happens in real life. So YES, there are people doing it, is it really that far fetched?

[Illuwin]

Has no one seen Catch Me If You Can?? It's about exactly this, it happens in real life. So YES, there are people doing it, is it really that far fetched?

The important fact being that in that movie, the character went to Jail multiple times, including prior to the final scenes where he was hired by the FBI. Happens this way "in real life" too - you aren't just forgiven everything and your record goes away, it's part of either early release, work-release, or just good ol fashioned recruitment after finishing a sentence.

[Greeney]

What world do you live in where it is ok to break the law, but only if you stop when you realize that illegal thing you tried to do actually worked?

Again, he did it before for Yahoo. They thanked him, according to the article. He didn't need to help them.
Zuckerberg did shit just like it and I don't see you saying he should be in prison for eight months, probably paid to go see his movie as well to make him even richer. It really seems like his word would depend on whether Yahoo execs can vouch for him.

If he should be imprisoned for anything it's that he wasted time of investigators. Not some insignificant chump change to Facebook. Especially since him not telling anyone, along with them figuring out how to patch it, will prevent a real significant decrease of potential loss.

I just find it sick that Facebook seemed to encourage it in that movie if they're going to whine and bitch about throwing this guy in jail.

[Jokerfiend]

The important fact being that in that movie, the character went to Jail multiple times, including prior to the final scenes where he was hired by the FBI. Happens this way "in real life" too - you aren't just forgiven everything and your record goes away, it's part of either early release, work-release, or just good ol fashioned recruitment after finishing a sentence.

That has no relevance to what I was saying at all. I don't care if he went to jail or not. The fact remains people get hired this way. Regardless of the intention or outcomes of those intentions. The person I was quoting acted as though, it was far fetched to say that these people wouldn't hire this hacker. Pointing out an obvious and well known source of real chunk Americana.

So what relevance does your comment have again?

[Illuwin]

That has no relevance to what I was saying at all. I don't care if he went to jail or not. The fact remains people get hired this way. Regardless of the intention or outcomes of those intentions. The person I was quoting acted as though, it was far fetched to say that these people wouldn't hire this hacker. Pointing out an obvious and well known source of real chunk Americana.

So what relevance does your comment have again?

giving you something to try to be hip and cool and snarky on an internet message board, obviously. clap clap. There's other themes in the thread such as very many opinions that he should be hired without any punishment due to his gift of discovering a flaw. Providing a clarifying example to your response to an individual is not off topic, even though it oh so irritated you.

Again, he did it before for Yahoo. They thanked him, according to the article. He didn't need to help them.
Zuckerberg did shit just like it and I don't see you saying he should be in prison for eight months, probably paid to go see his movie as well to make him even richer. It really seems like his word would depend on whether Yahoo execs can vouch for him.

If he should be imprisoned for anything it's that he wasted time of investigators. Not some insignificant chump change to Facebook. Especially since him not telling anyone, along with them figuring out how to patch it, will prevent a real significant decrease of potential loss.

I just find it sick that Facebook seemed to encourage it in that movie if they're going to whine and bitch about throwing this guy in jail.

A movie, particularly a fiction movie, is probably not the best source. I don't think the movie was made with his permission or involvement, so I don't believe he profited from it either. I haven't seen it, though, if you were curious.

Yahoo, and whatever circumstance involved is its own example and doesn't have much to do with his arrest. It was a different circumstance, different instance of breaking the law. Law enforcement may themselves choose to arrest someone and press charges, even if the wronged party involved does not wish to press charges, by the way, if certain laws were broken.

[Adam Jensen]

Please do prove that he's making the yahoo shit up. I'm interested.



Crazy idea, but maybe he didn't know what he could do, maybe he tested several things to see if any actually worked. When one worked maybe he stopped going further. Maybe I said maybe one too many times.



I once tried to be a drama queen, but I grew older than 14.

Yahoo didn't press charges. Good for them. He got lucky. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is so nice. Just because he was "toying around" doesn't mean he should get away scott free. There was a point where he crossed a line and this time the offended company didn't care if he was trying to help them. If you break the law, you deal with the consequences.

[Powerogue]

he was definitely in the wrong, surely there's a better approach than that. You don't commit armed robbery to try to wake up the police department to how understaffed they are either.

[vindicatorx]

I'm sure he will have an IT job waiting once he gets out

[Greeney]

A good article some of you should consider reading to enlighten yourselves.
http://weblogs.dailypress.com/techno...ong_about.html

Not completely on topic, but maybe it'll help those of you who seem to be on the verge of wetting yourselves with fear every time you hear the word "hack."

Yahoo didn't press charges. Good for them. He got lucky. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is so nice. Just because he was "toying around" doesn't mean he should get away scott free. There was a point where he crossed a line and this time the offended company didn't care if he was trying to help them. If you break the law, you deal with the consequences.

If Zuckerberg is willing to spend 8 months in a cell with him I agree, otherwise I don't see why Facebook thinks they should be allowed to press charges. Fictional movie or not, he did some unethical hacking himself. As far as I'm concerned he lost the right to bitch about people hacking his company when he broke into a facebook user's personal e-mail account while he was over 18 years old.

Stupid on the attacker's part, completely understandable why he might think a person like Zuckerberg would appreciate what he was trying to do though. Unfortunately, sometimes laws are stupid. In this case, I believe he had noble-esque intentions. I look to peoples previous actions to judge them when I'm uncertain; his previous actions (unless it's a lie) indicated he doesn't do this sort of thing for personal gain. If this was the first time he tried it, I'd think he should go to prison for years. Quite frankly, I doubt he's done anything nearly as bad as Facebook's CEO.

Aesop once said we hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to office; I suppose we now just toss the petty thieves in prison and help the great ones gain millions.

You don't commit armed robbery to try to wake up the police department to how understaffed they are either.

So many people desperate to use the first hyperbole their creative and inspiring mind can dream up.

giving you something to try to be hip and cool and snarky on an internet message board, obviously. clap clap.

I know I'm not in complete agreement with you on the topic, but I think you're better than that. Don't tell someone to stop acting hip on a message board and then say "clap clap".

[Jokerfiend]

I know I'm not in complete agreement with you on the topic, but I think you're better than that. Don't tell someone to stop acting hip on a message board and then say "clap clap".

See, it was kinda funny. He or She decided my comment needed unsolicited clarity and thought it would be prudent to point it out. Though noble, the comment was irrelevant to the point I was making. Hence my comment about relevance. SOMEHOW, I'm an asshole.

AND the person avoided the question. *shrugs*

I fail to see how I'm at fault.

[Deleted]

No doubt people we go on about him being a freedom fighter or some shit... Punish him to the extent of the law to teach him a lesson, as all crimes should be, to help disuade people from doing it again.