Man Gets 6 Months in NASA Hacking Case

[rainbow4321]

http://www.baytownsun.com/wire.lasso?report=/dynamic/stories/N/NASA_HACKER?SITE=TXBAY&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A Portland man was sentenced to six months in federal prison for breaking into a NASA computer systems in 2001 and causing more than $200,000 in damage.

Gregory Aaron Herns, 21, was a 17-year-old computer whiz at an alternative high school in southeast Portland when he hacked into the computer system at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Herns told federal agents he was looking for computer space to store movies he'd downloaded. It took hours for technicians to find the problem, fix it and patch the system's security holes, officials said


Herns was ordered to pay restitution for the damage he caused and will have limited access to computers for the next three years. After the judge outlined the terms of Herns' restricted computer use, Levine pointed out how hard those conditions will be for a man who does everything online, including paying his bills. "He's going to get to learn," Brown said. "There are other ways to live."

[vpigrad]

1. How about punishing the ones responsible for letting..

him into the system? You never see the incompetent, usually older and white, employees that don't secure their systems. They get paid a lot of money to do so, but they so often leave the systems wide-open. If a security guard left doors unlocked, he'd be fired. Since we're dealing with mainly rich, white, college-educated men, they're untouchable.

[sally343434]

2. I think you're off base

If someone inadvertantly leaves their front door unlocked, are we to assume you would feel that any burglary should be forgiven?

The kid knew what he was doing was wrong. He's luck he didn't get six years.

[vpigrad]

4. You're using the wrong analogy

But if that someone is paid to lock the door and doesn't lock it out of laziness, shouldn't they be punished? That's what happened here.

[Blue_Tires]

3. i don't get it

why would you use the nasa server to store movies???

[LiberalSoutherner]

5. This is always the way

"hackers" are treated. I have my hard drive space and CPU cycles being used without my permission all the time. Thats what spyware and popups are. But if I choose to use some one elses hard drive space or CPU cycle, I am a "hacker". Don't you know it's ok to do if you are a legit corporation making money, but if you do it for yourself, or simply to learn how computers and the internet works, you are a criminal?

[KSAtheist]

6. These! Are! The! Breeaks!

I'm of two minds about this: I feel sorry for the poor bastard, but I feel he got what he deserved. Sure, hacking may seem like fun, and I'm sure he obtained some precious l33t kr3d3nz4aL5, but it's not like it is in the movies. In the movies, when hackers tweak the nose of the system with their laptops and their techno music, they leave the incompetent agents of "the man" befuddled while they ride off into the sunset with their girlfriends. In real life, the agents of "the man" aren't that incompetent, they will track you down and make you pay, and you'll be the girlfriend when you get to federal prison.

This guy tried to be clever and cheeky. Unfortunately, the FBI doesn't reward criminals for cleverness.