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From: fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.legal
Subject: Re: Password hacker gets probation (& other electronic crimes)
Message-ID: <308@ihu1g.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-May-84 21:00:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihu1g.308
Posted: Tue May  1 21:00:54 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 2-May-84 06:27:35 EDT
References: <90@tilt.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 36

I think that probation is the worst he should have gotten.  I have
some rather anarchistic thoughts about this subject that I'll post here.

1) Computer security may be a matter for the law, but in my opinion,
   any organization that is too stupid, lazy, or cheap to implement
   effective security measures deserves to get their passwords hacked.
   If I had a computer system that had been broken into by a 21-year-old
   amateur, I'd prosecute the sheisskopf who set it up for me, not the
   guy that broke into the system.

2) The same thing goes for video pirates and other electronic thieves.
   I don't think that people who set up electronic networks and
   communications systems for profit should turn to the law for
   recourse when people start gaining unauthorized access to them.
   Rather, a technological solution should be sought.  That way,
   us engineers stay employed, and the public is spared the expense
   of the legislation and prosecution of laws regulating communications
   access.  I'm not advocating that it should be completely legal for
   people to break into communications systems or computers if they
   can do it, but to use the law in place of technology is a violation
   of the public trust.  If HBO and victims of computer breakins want
   to bear all the costs of prosecuting the perpetrators, fine.  But
   if I gotta pay taxes so these people get punished at public expense,
   I'm gonna be pretty pee-oh'ed about it!

3) Here in what used to be called the Bell System, we used to have a
   problem with "blue boxes" that people used to gain illegal access
   to the long distance network.  Although AT&T did prosecute people
   they caught doing it, a lot of hard work went into developing a
   better, tamper-proof system called CCIS.  Better to change the
   lock than track down the guy who stole the key.  Cheaper, too,
   in the long run.
-- 

                               Bob Fishell
                               ihnp4!ihu1g!fish