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Computer science student expelled for testing university software security
40hz:
I did not add 'therefore more qualified than they are.
They should be more responsible though.
'Beat the ones with the degrees' was not meant as a contest.
More of a lack of the right words I suppose.
-cmpm (January 21, 2013, 07:30 PM)
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Understood. I think my point (which I didn't make that well) is that you need to draw the line somewhere. All limits and rules, by nature, are arbitrary. But to open the gates to any activity on a system (or to disregard blatant system hacking activities) - with the justification that every so often it yields something of unexpected benefit - is not a good way to operate a network. And the people that do operate most professional networks are usually a lot better at it than they're given credit for. Especially by the press who automatically label any successful exploit an act of "technical" brilliance - even though most genuinely successful exploits are heavily dependent on additional non-tech factors such as "inside men," dishonest administrators, and "social engineering" mindgames.
Just saying. :)
Josh:
Audio interview with the sudent:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Quebec/Daybreak+Montreal/ID/2327525012/
-mouser (January 21, 2013, 02:58 PM)
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If anyone listened to that... the student was GIVEN A TESTING ACCOUNT. What do you do with test accounts? Errr... test maybe?
Just to add insult to injury, he was given all zeros for all his grades.
Nice. Kick 'em while he's down why don't ya? Show 'em who's the boss.
Proportionality has disappeared from "laws/rules/regulations/whatever". I could give recent examples that would simply blow your mind, however, as they're real, and so utterly insane, they can only be put in the Basement.
The fact that he, on his own, informed them about the vulnerabilities the first time, tells you everything you need to know about his intentions, his moral character, and the nature of the "threat" he supposedly posed.-mouser (January 21, 2013, 03:06 PM)
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+1 - Agreed. Now if he'd have polked it twice all sneeky and quiet...then I'd be up for a BBQ. But that ain't what happened.
-Stoic Joker (January 21, 2013, 03:15 PM)
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+1 and +1
Nothing better than BBQing a Good Samaritan though! They're not all that common, so when ya find 'em, better cook 'em up real quick!
-Renegade (January 21, 2013, 08:19 PM)
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But test what? He did not specify ANY of that. Just because you have a "test account" does not mean you have free reign on the network. Often times, these are for a specific purpose. And unless he was granted permission to perform the second vulnerability test, he was still in the wrong. I am not trying to justify the response he received for this, but I do see the validity in the claims that he was in the wrong.
40hz:
Nothing better than BBQing a Good Samaritan though! They're not all that common, so when ya find 'em, better cook 'em up real quick!
-Renegade (January 21, 2013, 08:19 PM)
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Again. He wasn't punished for identifying and communicating his discovery of an exploit. If he let it go at that, there wouldn't have been a problem.
He was expelled afterwards for running hack-type scan software on a system in direct violation of the system's access and use policy.
Why couldn't he have just collected his kudos and walked away? Seriously? :-\
40hz:
Audio interview with the sudent:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Quebec/Daybreak+Montreal/ID/2327525012/
-mouser (January 21, 2013, 02:58 PM)
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If anyone listened to that... the student was GIVEN A TESTING ACCOUNT. What do you do with test accounts? Errr... test maybe?
-Renegade (January 21, 2013, 08:19 PM)
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Close...so very close...
Um Ren? You need to get out of the coder's chair and spend a little more time down in the system operations center...it might make some of "our" terminology and mindset a little clearer. :P ;D
(Sorry. Couldn't resist. And up till now I've been sooooo good too!)
cmpm:
get out of the coder's chair and spend a little more time down in the system operations center
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I can relate to that. It needs to work both ways as well.
Not that you don't see that, 40hz.
I don't think that university sees it like that.
I believe all agree the given punishment is not the right thing to do.
And sheesh, he's a kid, not a genius, I know.
Not aware of these severe consequences, possibly, no matter what he signed.
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