Friday, September 21, 2007

Shocking Story

Yes, here's another great example. There seems to be one nearly everyday.

The methods used by this "hacker" are extremely trivial. He's not doing anything fancy, using any uncommon tools or any special knowledge. He's guessing. Places just leave their doors wide open. People are stupid. From their I/T workers and managers, to the executives, they do not know how to operate the technologies their businesses rely on. Shocking!? Not really...

http://www.securityfocus.com/news/595

"How did a mediagenic hacker like Adrian Lamo get himself bumped last week from a scheduled appearance on the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw?

"Perhaps with his impromptu on-camera intrusion into the peacock network's own computers.

...

"Lamo says NBC was taping him at Kinko's while he demonstrated security holes in a telecommunications company's systems, when the interviewer asked him if he'd be successful hacking NBC. Adrian Lamo does most of his hacking with an ordinary Web browser.

"Five minutes and one guessed password later and Lamo was surfing the television network's private messaging system and an affiliate scheduling application that included internal memos and information on advertising rates. Screen shots of the hack provided by Lamo and reviewed by SecurityFocus Online include a page from an NBC vendor database with the network's trademark "living color" peacock and the warning, "All information contained on this Web site is to be held in the strictest confidence," in all capital letters. "It was a very full service system,"
recalls Lamo."

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