2 Men, 3 Teens Arrested for Computer Tampering Link Among College Libraries Was Shut Down for 2 Hours John Funk The Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 19, 1994 Five computer hackers operating from their homes in Greater Cincinnati briefly paralyzed OhioLink, the $26 million statewide computer system linking the libraries of Ohio's public universities and some private colleges, authorities say. The incident occurred Aug. 8 and prompted an electronic manhunt that led sleuths to the University of Cincinnati and from there to the home computers used by the suspects. Kevin Hartnell, 27, of Cincinnati; Phillip Lang, 20, of suburban Springdale; and three teen-agers were arrested this week and charged with unauthorized use of computer property, a felony, said UC Safety Director Gene Ferrara. He said the hackers had wormed their way into a "route portion" of the computer memory -- most likely in an effort to gain access to the national Internet. When they began changing passwords, they locked out any other users. OhioLink technicians, already on alert because of a previous incident, traced the invaders to the UC computer system. Ferrara said his detectives brought in technicians from the UC computer department and then Cincinnati Bell after it was determined the calls to the computer were coming from outside campus. He said his investigators seized the computers and files of the five and will be examining them for months to see whether other crimes were committed. He said additional charges, including violations of federal laws, would be considered if evidence is found of stolen computer software or phone or credit cards. More than 500,000 students, professors and other researchers in Ohio have access to OhioLink which stands for the Ohio Library Information Network. Only about 500 tried to get into the network for the two hours the system was paralyzed, said Tom Sanville, executive director. But full service to OhioLink had still not been restored to UC users yesterday, said UC spokesman Jim Dexter. He said the service allowing researchers to use home computers will not be restored until more sophisticated security programs are installed. The Aug. 8 break-in was the second time hacker tampering had affected the network, said Sanville. The first serious tampering occurred last month and shut down the entire system in the middle of the night. A technician discovered it before dawn and restored power. Sanville said he did not know whether the same hackers were responsible. He said hackers have been a problem since OhioLink began in November 1992. They typically break into unauthorized parts of the computer memory and leave notes. He said technicians monitoring security have routinely "bumped" such hackers off the network, but that will not be the new policy. Not only is security being strengthened with the new programs, but surveillance and detection also have been beefed up--meaning future hackers can expect to be tracked down and prosecuted, he said. But Sanville said no amount of surveillance or security can eliminate the threat. "This is a public system. We cannot make its security foolproof without also making it difficult to use," he said. "These are complicated telecommunications networks and complicated computer systems. It is a cat-and-mouse game."