Harmless hackers or teen criminals?

[dinowuff]

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/int....ap/index.html

Did a quick search and ditn't see the above story posted

The administrative password that allowed students to reconfigure computers and obtain unrestricted Internet access was easy to obtain. A shortened version of the school's street address, the password was taped to the backs of the computers.

PRICELESS!!!!!!!

[Aspman]

Almost an apt name: Kutztown = Klutztown

The Kutztown Area School District begs to differ. It says it reported the students to police only after detentions, suspensions and other punishments failed to deter them from breaking school rules governing computer usage.

Everything except taking back the school owned laptops.

The trouble began last fall after the district issued some 600 Apple iBook laptops to every student at the high school about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Can someone make a 'wanker' smilie? (--Cheers Nihil)

[dinowuff]

Originally posted here by Aspman
Almost an apt name: Kutztown = Klutztown



Everything except taking back the school owned laptops.

You know, that's just funny - you are so right aspman. Maybe I should have posted this in tech humor or summurized in a tut "What not to do when setting up a network"

#1 don't tape the admin password...

[DjM]

The administrative password that allowed students to reconfigure computers and obtain unrestricted Internet access was easy to obtain. A shortened version of the school's street address, the password was taped to the backs of the computers.

I don't think you can call a few kids that happen to be smarter than the ADMIN of the network, either hackers or criminals.

The Admin should be the one in **** for being stupid.

Cheers:

[nihil]

I think this is the issue:

It says it reported the students to police only after detentions, suspensions and other punishments failed to deter them from breaking school rules governing computer usage.

The issue is one of discipline, NOT who is clever. They are lucky to have it brought home forcibly at this stage rather than when they get into the real world. "Don't" means "Don't"; not "try and get round it"

The administrative password that allowed students to reconfigure computers and obtain unrestricted Internet access was easy to obtain. A shortened version of the school's street address, the password was taped to the backs of the computers.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. I tape the admin password to all my boxes

Aren't we forgetting a fundamental rule of computer security?HE WHO HAS UNSUPERVISED PHYSICAL ACCESS OWNS THE BOX the admin password is irrelevant, as these kids demonstrated by cracking it when it was changed

These kids are a shower of retards, not only can they not understand simple instructions and take a hint from being punished...................they persist in getting CAUGHT

I really have no sympathy for them at all, as they broke the eleventh commandment "Thou shalt not get found out"

My £0.02

[dinowuff]

nihil:

I have to disagree with you on this one. A lock only keeps a honest man honest. This goof gave the kids the key.

The Admin should be the one in **** for being stupid.

Kutztown Area School District District Administration
50 Trexler Ave.
Kutztown, PA 19530
[mailto:[email protected]] District Technology Coordinator

/. and at least 15 blogs think that the admin was a nut

[jm459]

Originally posted here by nihil
I think this is the issue:



The issue is one of discipline, NOT who is clever. They are lucky to have it brought home forcibly at this stage rather than when they get into the real world. "Don't" means "Don't"; not "try and get round it"

I blame the parents

Originally posted here by nihil


These kids are a shower of retards, not only can they not understand simple instructions and take a hint from being punished...................they persist in getting CAUGHT

I really have no sympathy for them at all, as they broke the eleventh commandment "Thou shalt not get found out"

You and I obviously have had a similar work ethic

[dinowuff]

Hey nihil and jm459:

Don't get me wrong. The kids were goofs for keeping trying - but.

My environment. A remote user (laptop) disables av, firewall - NO ACCESS. Two times and your out. I know of one employee, 18 years service, fired because he was no longer productive. Reason. He kept hacking the local admin password on his laptop and changing vpn client settings on his laptop. Concentrator rule disabled his access.

Listen the kids kept being caught WITH THE SAME LAPTOPS w/ same type of lame administrator passwords.

I don't care if the boss,parents,kids whoever thinks it's cute. It is the administrators job to deny access to physical devices if all other measures fail.

[nihil]

dinowuff

This issue has nothing to do with computers, or computer security, they are purely incidental to the matter.

What it is about is authority and discipline

The school has a set of rules (the computer AUP just happens to be one of these) and these kids have repeatedly broken the rules, in spite of previous punishments. That is a direct challenge to the authority of the school's administration, and I can assure you that is how their dean is looking at it.

It is no different from a door that says "no admittance" or "staff only" or a sign that says "out of bounds"

This goof gave the kids the key.

No, as I have already pointed out, unlimited physical access is ownership They subsequently cracked the password, so they could have done it in the first instance.

I actually believe that it would be far more unprofessional and incompetent if the administrator had seriously believed that a "clever little password" would keep these types out

I am certain that this is one of those school v student battle of wills, rather than a true IT issue.

[dinowuff]

nihil

This issue has nothing to do with computers, or computer security, they are purely incidental to the matter.

I think it has a lot to do with computers in that if you go into the staff only area or out of bounds, you're not going to go to jail nor get a felony record.

You are right; however, it is a school v student battle

One IMO that should have never been fought. As you say physical access is ownership. Absolutely true. If one of my users "Owns" their box. They will not be able to connect to my network. These kids had access to network info after owning the laptop.

But you do make the underlining point -- it is about is authority and discipline VERY TRUE