Man Sent to Prison Over a Screensaver

FreeMcOwen ^ | 11/28/2001 | Bowman et. al.

[Macaw]

I apologize if this has already been posted but I couldn't find it in the archives and it has me burning up with so much rage right now I thought it would at least be theraputic to post it.

Basically a guy who used to work at a technical college in Georgia ran the Distributed.net screensaver on his PC. This is much like the SETI@Home screensaver in that it solves math problems using idle computers. After he left the college to work somewhere else, he got in a rift with the school and they went after him for using school resources (computers and bandwidth).

CNET covered the story but everyone thought it was not too serious.

Unfortunately a judge has sided with the state and he is up against $815,000 in fines, he's been booked and tossed in jail, and his current employer Cingular Wireless fired him out of fear of bad press.

I am SO angry about this I don't even know if what I typed above made sense. The state has way too much control. This is insane.

[spycatcher]

I thought Georgia was crawling out of it's hick-state status. Now it ranks below Arkansas!

[mbynack]

He gave away something that didn't belong to him (Computer resources) and, in the process, opened a back door into the computer system that could have been used by hackers to destroy data.

[JoeSchem]

You apparently don't understand the technical issues involved here.

[Still Thinking]

The resources were only given away when they were not needed by the intended users anyway, and unused CPU cycles are by definition worthless. Would you support prosecution of anyone who installs a traditional screen saver on their work machine? They use an otherwise dormant CPU, too.

The security issue may or may not be valid depending on the design of the software and the school' network, as well as what other software is running, firewall, etc.

[mbynack]

I'm a computer professional and work in an environment where "intellectual properties" and non-tangible company assets are a constant source of conflict.

From the company's standpoint, this would be the same as employees giving away office supplies or computers because they were underused.

[mbynack]

He should have asked permission from the system's owners. They probably would have granted it and this wouldn't be an issue.

[Doctor Stochastic]

It wasn't his machine, he had no authority to give cycles away. He could have asked permission. (Why didn't he just remove things when he left.)

[Still Thinking]

I'll grant you that he erred in his exercise of common sense, but the school did too. I think they grossly overreacted. The worst that should have happenned to him was to be fired.

[Still Thinking]

When the school discovered the software, they threatened him with prosecution and told him not to come near the school again. They didn't give him the option to shut down the software. This is why I feel they overreacted. They immediately went nuclear, when a relative punch in the nose would have served just fine.

That having been said, yes of course he should have asked, but lets not make a mountain out of a mole hill.

[Bob]

You apparently don't understand the technical issues involved here.

If this program runs anything like SETI, the resources and bandwidth would be minimal to negligible at worst. The risk to the computer and network would be similarly small (if present at all).

Technical issues aside, though, he probably should have gotten the OK from somebody (his manager or IT department) before installing the program. At that point, they wouldn't have had any way to go after him later.

[Nitro]

The worst that should have happenned to him was to be fired.

The worst that should have happened was a "What were you thinking of" and a deletion of the offending ware-share!!

[JoeSchem]

If you're a computer professional, then you're probably one in spirit with those 'molehills into mountains' guys at Boeing Computer Services who took years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to write programs that never got finished, which I then wrote by myself in BASIC and completed in a few weeks.

I just can't see anyone with a sense of proportion -- or humanity -- sending a person to prison over a screen saver.

[Still Thinking]

He was the in house IT guy. So if he needed to ask anyone, it would have been the general administration of the school.

[Arkinsaw]

SETI@home grabs a packet of data and works on it when the computer is not used. The data packet takes a few seconds to grab but quite a while to process/calculate. Bandwidth is not really a real concern with the software and neither are CPU cycles since they are unused anyway.

The only real concern might be some security concern but that would be minimal.

I am guessing they needed a reason to fire and this was what they dug up. It doesn't make much sense otherwise.

[Still Thinking]

That's great as far as it goes, but if that's the case, what's the motivation for his prosecution? Are they trying to make Georgians look petty and technically backward??

[Macaw]

Do you even think before you type? What backdoor? They were unused computer resources and yes he should have asked first but do you think the punishment fits the crime?

[mbynack]

One of the issues that hasn't been mentioned is that not all of the distributed computing is done for good causes. In many cases the computers are being used to crack data encryption systems that have been developed to protect your credit card information when it's passed over the internet.

[Ole Okie]

I thought Georgia was crawling out of it's hick-state status. Now it ranks below Arkansas!

Straight skinny from a lifelong Okie who recently moved to Georgia:

Ain't no way Georgia ranks below Arkansaw. No way atall.

[mbynack]

Why do you want to make this personal just because I have a different opinion?

I've have an engineering degree and I'm currently about nine months from finishing a graduate degree in computer technology.

I've also spent the last 16 years working as a computer professional designing hardware and writing software for the Air Force and Navy. I have a pretty good grasp on the concept of distributed computing and I think it's great if you have the permission of the system's owner.

[Poohbah]

It "solves math problems."

Like, "How do I break out the encryption on this Secure HTTP session and get someone's credit card number?"

[Spiff]

This is the equivalent of emptying the hole punchers and using the resulting tiny round circles of paper as confetti without permission.

Yes, the paper still belongs to the company but it is worthless and would have been discarded. Much like the wasted cycles during idle time on a desktop computer - they're equally worthless and would have been discarded otherwise.

As for the security risk - same thing. A corporate spy MAY have been able to piece something together from the punched paper holes that would have been an indicator or actual data after sifting through jillions of them. But the ACTUAL and PRACTICAL security risk is miniscule and not worth mentioning.

Obviously, there's something wrong with the people who prosecuted this guy.

And what about the "wasted cycles" of computer time as well as work time of everyone who reads and posts to Free Republic from work? Hmmmmmm?

Get real.

[mbynack]

Do you even think before you type? What backdoor? They were unused computer resources and yes he should have asked first but do you think the punishment fits the crime?

Distributed computing software allows an outside user to access your computer and use it. Not all of the people who use this technology are who they say they are and not all of them are honest. Some of the more sophisticated hackers use this process to break encryption systems used to safeguard credit card information.

Based on the information in the articles I would say that the school may have gone overboard on the punishment and there may have been more to his dismissal than what is mentioned in the article.

[mbynack]

I'm playing Devil's Advocate here. To a company this is the same thing as an employee allowing outsiders to use the company's office during the weekend when it wouldn't be used anyway.

If the users of the computer were legitimate, the school probably didn't even know that they were in the system. It does leave security vulnerabilities that hackers can use to access the system and the computing time can be used for illegal purposes.

[Crispy]

He stole resources (cpu-time). Theft is theft no matter what. It's the same as stealing a pack of chewing gum.

[spycatcher]

I know. I'm just joking, since they like to think Atlanta has made it such a progressive state. They need to act their new class.

[Crispy]

I should mention though, that I think the punishment is a bit stiff. I agree that at most, he should have been fired.

[Z-28]

Why is it OK for me to copy music from my FM radio onto cassette tapes, and from TV to VHS tapes, but not OK for me to do the same and copy music from the internet by burning it on to CDRoms?

Go figure...

[lelio]

What's also amazing is that DeKalb took 18 MONTHS to investigate this. What kind of geniuses are there at this school's CS dept?
Wait I can answer that: probably ones that have better things to do that look up this crap. I'm sure it came down from the head of the school.

[concerned about politics]

$815,000 to go to the school, I suppose?
Students = Money, no matter how they're used.
They're like meat on an assembly line. Move 'em in, cut them up, move 'em out.
They got to use this guy one more time before he escaped out the door.

[Still Thinking]

I have it on good authority that, in addition to his heinous and ongoing theft of unused CPU cycles, McOwen repeatedly and habitually used a gaseous mixture he found on school premises to maintain his physical well being. The mixture, primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen, is the property of the school district, and, although he returned the gas substantially undamaged, his use was not explicitly permitted. He is therefore liable to numerous additional criminal counts as well as civil action.

[Arkinsaw]

Ain't no way Georgia ranks below Arkansaw. No way atall.

This from an Okie. LOL.

[Macaw]

You're playing the part of a moron. I'm sorry all of you are. I'm now 100% in favor of abolishing citizen juries. Who wants justice to be dealt out by a bunch of half-wits? By your illogic, jay walkers should get the death penalty.

[M. Thatcher]

You're playing the part of a moron. I'm sorry all of you are. I'm now 100% in favor of abolishing citizen juries.

You need to step away from the computer, take a walk, look at the stars, get a grip.

Being seized of the sudden opinion that everyone else is a moron is nature's way of saying, "Maybe it's you."

[exmoor]

My peas have turned to _ _ _ _ !

[Z-28]

I ran SETI for years. I tried Distributed Net but it was too complicated to set up and I gave up.

Where's the crime? It's idle CPU time anyway. I've also used up a few hundred company pencils.

[Ima Lurker]

Whatever made you think that? Ya'll aint alivin' hear in Jawja 'ere ya? :)

[dinodino]

He doesn't own the equipment, and thus doesn't own the cycles. He had no right to use distributed.net.

[dinodino]

Your paper punch analogy is incorrect...maybe if you add that he duct-taped over the door lock to allow easy entry for the hole collectors. I don't know the details of the distributed.net client, but I do know that it's possible to open up a machine to various exploits by installing insecure software.

[usconservative]

From the company's standpoint, this would be the same as employees giving away office supplies or computers because they were underused.

Right *and* by running Seti@Home, the user opened up a back door INTO the company's network. It isn't as if this is a normal screensaver, it isn't. It contacts other systems looking for data to "crunch" while nothing else is going on. Because it must contact other systems occasionally over the 'net, tcp/ip ports are left open, and those ports can be used by HACKERS if they're clever enough, to get INSIDE the company's network.

They had every right to fire the guy if for nothing else, probably breaching the computer security policy.

[Zipporah]

When the school discovered the software, they threatened him with prosecution and told him not to come near the school again.

Not surprising.. the most irritating group of people I have ever had to work with are school personnel. It's as if they all have 'short-man" symdrome!

[BushCountry]

The defenders of the technical college, which most likely is part of the public school system, have to realize one thing. This was a internal political decision to fire this guy and make an example out of him. First off, the person who made this decision most likely couldn't even install a screensaver to save his life, much less worry about over exposure his PC-ports and a breach in their firewall.

Lets face it, their security sucks!!! I have not, repeat seen any security in any school system in the Country that is worth talking about. They don't pay the IT guys enough, the job is basically thankless, and most teachers and administrators are technically imcompetent. And the use of outdated equipment is rampant.

You can have access to half the servers (most are not even passworded) and printing resources in my school district just by viewing network nieghorhood on any school computer. The director of the technical college basically uses his computer as a screensaver and the adminstrators barely are able to run MS apps.

That said, the multimillion dollar company I work for could have its network brought to its knees in seconds and security is almost as poor. IT guys usually have such a high opinion of themselves, they cannot see the forest amongst the trees.

Wake up, these are laughable arguements that are being presented in the face of the true reality. Guy wasted clock cycle (this is a school system, infamous for waste, duh!), security (duh! I would bet a million bucks, that there is none and any half-way competent student on the network could bring it to its knees), well thanks for the insight, you IT guys crack me up!

[Republican Wildcat]

What ended up happening with this?

[MediaMole]

The guy is fine. He is active on the Anandtech.com forums.

[general_re]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1782050.stm

[Republican Wildcat]

Thanks!

[Hootch]

This completely misses the point. The employee has absolutley no right to install anything on that business or University computer. In the case of a business, the computer is a tool to make their employee more productive not to listen to music or chat with friends. The employee should have no sense that their machine has any value of privacy from the ownership of the company. It opens up a Pandora's Box of problems for organizations to deal with employees screwing up company resources to have personal frills on a PC.

[Hootch]

Great Perspective.