Penetration Testing mailing list archives
Re: [Fwd: Re: Pentester convicted..]
From: "Travis Williams" <travisw () coj net>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 16:34:08 -0400
nicely put Travis Williams System Security Analyst Information Technologies Division 220 East Bay Street City Hall Annex Jacksonville, Florida 32202 904-630-1095 Work cell: 904-477-2199 True knowledge exists when you realize you know nothing.
William Hancock <bill.hancock () isthmusgroup com> 05/11/06 10:17 AM
The below message was intended for the list, I am forwarding it on at their request. bh -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: Pentester convicted.. Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 14:20:01 +1000 From: Serg B. <sergicles () gmail com> To: pen-test () lists securityfocus com CC: bill.hancock () isthmusgroup com References: <4461F6A6.9050501 () isthmusgroup com> That's a nice rant and I gree with you on most points (horrible wallet analogy though hehe). Any way, you neglected or perhaps didn't read the part where he emailed database records to the site administrator as proof or v ulnerability. He compromised the database and accessed personal data. This in tern will be followed by weeks or possibly months of auditing and recovery/reinstallations, etc. Understandable, they are a little pissed! But yeah, this is definitely a major step backwards. It is in no way going to deter people from exploiting or at least attempting to exploit services that look like they are vaulnarable, they are just going to stop reporting it. Total Bullshit! As my colleague just pointed out: this is an example case of head in the sand mentality! Rant justified! On 11/05/06, William Hancock <bill.hancock () isthmusgroup com> wrote:
Hey there pen-testers, take this with a grain of salt, it just got me excited. I am really interested in everyones opinion on the matter or corporate responsibility and ownership. <RANT> In an article posted to slashdot today (http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/10/112259&from=rss) a man has been convicted of hacking when he casually and helpfully reported
a
security vulnerability to the owners of a web site, in this case The University of Southern California. It reads like it was some sort of simple SQL injection and upon gleaning the information he reported it. What are we to do as a community I ask? We should we, the good guys, who are paid for our knowledge and ability to exploit mistakes, oversights, and weaknesses then professionally report them to aid in
the
securing of information capital (or anyone who reports the flaw for
that
matter) worry about prosecution. It lends itself to a forcing the technical community to sit on their laurels and wait for the people
who
don't report issues to exploit them. Further it sounds very clear
that
had he not notified them, they would have never known. A security pro notices a flaw, checks to make sure he is not on crack
by
'flipping a bit', deems the threat viable and is likely to be
exploited,
notifies the owners, then get arrested and charged with unauthorized access. We, as a or even The security community, should push corporations, governments, and organized body's to take responsibility and ownership of their problems. If they publish a site that is
flawed
or exposing information then they are authorizing the retrieval of
that
information. I'm not advocating that they laws should allow any jerk
to
try and brute his or her way in to a public or private web site, but come on. If someone leaves their wallet in the park with no guard or
protection,
I pick it up and bring it back to the owner, the owner didn't want me
to
have it but I brought it back to him. Why in the hell should I have
to
go to jail for returning it to him, why should I/we be punished for doing the right thing? I acknowledge this to be a rant but there must but some way to insist that when people make something available to the public that it is
their
responsibility to safeguard it and appreciate not persecute someone
who
let's them know (for free I might add) that a weakness exists. This
is
simple scapegoating, the University did something not advisable as a good practice and instead of owning up to it they villafied a professional pen-tester for offering valid advice. </RANT> Thanks, Bill
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Current thread:
- [Fwd: Re: Pentester convicted..] William Hancock (May 11)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: [Fwd: Re: Pentester convicted..] Travis Williams (May 11)
- [Fwd: Re: Pentester convicted..] Stuart Thomas (May 12)
- RE: [Fwd: Re: Pentester convicted..] Alex Moen (May 12)