Information Security News mailing list archives
Re: Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's
From: InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 18:07:10 -0600
Forwarded by: "Jordan" <findlerman () yahoo com>
While I agree that web defacement is a juvenile and pointless activity, you have missed the point: Prison sentences are completely inappropriate punishment. How does sending a child to prison help increase security?
...and I bet you don't support capitol punishment either, do you? The death penalty is not used because law-makers have deluded themselves enough to think that this makes things right in the universe - but if our only threat for violent offenders is to box them up and feed them for 25 years or until they die at a ripe old age, they have little DETERRANCE (or so the argument goes....). And deterrence is exactly the message that the case of the hacker 'Coolio' tries to convey. Quite simply the kid broke the law. And it's really easy to do. If they don't give the script kiddies something to stop and think about before they hack, the problem will grow, possibly beyond their ability to control it. Either they take 'extreme' measures now to curtail it now, or they eventually make meaningless the laws which protect sites.
Solve the *PROBLEM* (a lack of security) instead of attacking the messengers. Kids should not be locked up in cages. How does that help anyone? Whose security is actually improved - perhaps the prison industry's? People who think like you are screwing the world and imprisoning our children! Thanks a lot!
The kids *ARE* the problem - immature little kiddies who get their hands on scripts that they didn't write, and whom have no respect for the geniuses whose heads they are standing upon as they go about having their immature fun, defacing anyone's site that they care to (who hasn't had time to kept up with all the patches from the distributor). You look at the problem as the site admins not doing a good enough job of defending themselves. They should patch up their server and then they wouldn't have this mess. ....That is like saying that a mugging victim is to blame for not doing an adequate job of defending himself from his assailants. When law enforcement officials look at it, the *PROBLEM* comes before that - why should they NEED to defend themselves? The law should be there to prevent their need to. Whether jail time and $5K/victim is justified as the amount owed is irrelevant. The fact that this sets a precedence for real consequences for breaking these laws is what counts in this case. If you get caught hacking and being naughty, you now serve time. Even if all you did was to deface the site. And if that gives 'hackers' reason to think about what they do, and perhaps deter them from hacking, then it increases security for everyone. ....At least in theory. The other argument is that this ruling will make them simply try harder not to get caught. ;) --Jordan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ISN is hosted by SecurityFocus.com --- To unsubscribe email LISTSERV () SecurityFocus com with a message body of "SIGNOFF ISN".
Current thread:
- Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's InfoSec News (Mar 10)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's Nathan Dorfman (Mar 13)
- Re: Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's Patrick Oonk (Mar 14)
- Re: Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's InfoSec News (Mar 14)
- Re: Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's Marcy Abene (Mar 15)
- Re: Hacker "Coolio" to work on jail PC's InfoSec News (Mar 18)