Re: [Fwd: Re: Pentester convicted..]

["Travis Williams" <travisw () coj net>]

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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