Cyberpunk Review » File Sharing = Hacking? US Justice Department says so.

WTF??? The Bush Administration is ever more determined to change the laws of the land to justify their (unconstitutional) actions. The latest attempt to stretch and skew definition now involves a Seattle man’s indictments on identity theft and wire fraud… and for “hacking” that wasn’t hacking. The story comes from Wired’s Threat Level blog.

The Story of the (non) Hack. Gregory Kopiloff used file sharing services like Limewire to find and download files with personal information, then used that info to make some $78K US in fraudulently secured credit cards. How did he pull the hack off?

He used Limewire’s search engine where he entered search terms like “tax return” or “credit card number” and he was able to find the files with sensitive information that he used to commit his fraud. That’s it… all he did was use a search engine to find the files… no brute-force password cracks, data stealing viruses, or custom made port opening programs were used. Instead, he knew that there were file-sharing (l)users who didn’t know how to set the software’s security to restrict sharing to certain files and directories and keep such theft from occurring.

A brief definition of “Hacking.” Even among long-time hackers, there’s some discrepancy as to what “real hacking” is. Some say it’s tunning and tweaking your wares to maximize your computer’s performance. Some say it’s exploring your computer and the Internet to see how they work. Others (the mass-media machinery) say it’s defeating security systems, breaking-and-entering, to gain unauthorized entry into a system. There is some obvious overlap in what hacking is, such as a broad knowledge of computers and the willingness to use it, but the act of using a search engine to find unsecured files is stretching the definition. One could find some similar stuff just by using Google or Yahoo.

Earlier this year, a research firm reported to the House Oversight Committee that they found some 200 classified files on P2P networks. More proof that the government is made up of techno-tards.

File Sharing = Hacking? Right. The RIAA would love to see such a hyper-extended, over-stretched definition of file-sharers as criminal hackers. In reality, the glove don’t fit so you must acquit!

Mr. Kopiloff is NOT a hacker. He’s a criminal, a fraud, and a thief… but he’s no hacker.

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Comments

Once again a government proves how out of touch with technology it is (more so than the film and record industries).

And not only was that dude a criminal… users that don’t know how to use computers or establish security are idiots. Someone buys a new car, parks it in a public parking lot, leaves his credit cards and a box of tax information, ATM card, a list of passwords and then leaves the car unlocked is learning a hard life lesson. But that doesn’t mean the Feds have earned the right to start demanding those free public parking lots now need armed guards frisking and demanding IDs from anyone that passes by. Sorry, idiots need to either learn, or stay off the intertubes. Their idiocy is help spawn a new fascism.

The Gov. of Bush is scared shitless of cyber distruption, as it could potentially (10^6 swarm zombie bot DOS attack on Wall street, CentCom, or evn SkyNet…) be very, very bad for business. Bush, LLC are really just typically self centered and narrow minded money grubbers out to make as much as possible for their “share holders” (WETFTMB) in as short a time as possible. But this guy in the article above did hack in a sense- he went behind the first “curtain” and figured out something cool (until it got illegal with the fraud and all…).

Well, actually, ehm, their policy is: “if you have a computer, you are potential hacker”. It’s like every paranoia politicians world wide, who see a potential terrorist in every citizen.

Even being Aimish wouldn’t help. (”OK, they don’t use Internets. Oficially. But they are too confident to be innocent, they surely planing something terroristic”)…

Without any dumb conspiracy theories:
the government who has to serve us, tries to fight against invisible - and often inexistent - monsters. Surely ’cause of their own bad conscience…

Haha so for usa government everyone who has pc and download or upload illegal files is hacker LMAO…Damn i am hacker then, wow! Truth is that the word HACKER is so fake now….people don’t see difference between simple cheaters,criminals,hackers…
Everyday while playing on-line games i hear “You fu….ing hacker!!!” etc… People using someone hax are not hackers…they are just a bunch of cheating tards.

Someone should explain those retards who hacker really is…

“Mr. Kopiloff is NOT a hacker. He’s a criminal, a fraud, and a thief… but he’s no hacker.”

^AGREED!

it.. its its a series of tubes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99PcP0aFNE

lol, sorry, you guys talk about techno-tards, and all I can think about is this speach.

[…] On the positive side, the RIAA can’t equate file sharing to hacking. Or can they?… […]

I like Hackers Now, I’m find url to download it.

k hai men

menn

من وجهتي نظري تعتبر القضية غير أخلاقية بسسب انتهالك الخصوصية

this case is ethical or not ethical issue

I want analysis thsi case through
1-who is the stackholder
2- fact
3- issue
4- is this acse related to privacy who ?