One past thread:
How I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14229412 - April 2017 (133 comments)
I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
101–110 of 373 posts
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
Finger protocol, port 79: >dekhn[CRLF] HTTP/0.9 protocol, port 80: >GET /~dekhn/[CRLF] HTTP was a slightly enhanced finger, so in some sense he's the reason for the web.
I never made that connection before, thank you!
I'm not sure if there is any historical evidence backing that up (IE, Tim Berners-Lee used Finger protocol as an inspiration. A lot of the UNIX protocols of the time were like that (NNTP in particular), simple call/response with textual commands and arguments.
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#103No post body was provided.
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#104My FBI file was for hacking into my school district's AS/400 that handled my school's attendance and grading system. Somehow using a public IP address with no access restrictions allowed a clear telnet path in from home. Compounding username and passwords that were all the same for every employee. I didn't change a thing, just LOLed and told someone. Bad mistake. This was the late 90s. Oh well, 2 week suspension and…
Late 80s and my junior high school computerized attendance reporting (and some grades) through shared documents on a 'teacher' Appletalk share I had access to (because I set it up!) Well now... ;) Honestly though I never did any of that sort of thing for profit, I managed to satisfy my needs selling disks with games on them and then turning a blind eye when people were playing them during class hours (I was basically used as a free labour resource by the school so I don't feel bad about that in the slightest.) Ah, the things we did when we were teenagers...
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#105Quoted post unavailable.
Please don't start nationalistic flamewars on HN. They're tedious, repetitive, and nasty—just what we don't want here.
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#106> The friendlier one eventually described how much it had cost to investigate another recent case where a person was reported to have pulled down an American flag and stepped on it. Only after the investigation was well under way did they learn that the perpetrator of this nefarious act was only four years old.
I never cease to be amused and amazed by the incredible lack of imagination discernment law enforcement personnel display at all levels. I'm sure some smart people work at the three letter agencies, but there sure is a range!
To me, I take it as a lesson about the dangers of dogmatic following of rules and how such a system will inevitably provoke people into work that have less than zero desired value. Obviously, as 1984 and many other works remind us, the value is in reinforcing the power of the system - but the official line of the system is to say that's not the case.
The reason government agencies are so fond of crushing people who have the bad luck to become centered in their gaze is that they know or suspect they are not clever enough to match wits with a below-average four year old and they would never want that possible fact to become public knowledge.
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#107No post body was provided.
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
I never made that connection before, thank you!
I'm not sure if there is any historical evidence backing that up (IE, Tim Berners-Lee used Finger protocol as an inspiration. A lot of the UNIX protocols of the time were like that (NNTP in particular), simple call/response with textual commands and arguments.
Let's ask. Also 79 -> 80... that's a bit of a hint.
Edit: asked.
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#109Did anyone else look into his Stanford biography page? Pretty insane stuff. https://web.stanford.edu/~learnest/ http://web.stanford.edu/~learnest/bucket/ In a section headed by an anime girl, he claims to have, "figured out when and how a bunch of other fantasies got into our DNA and will shortly post an article on this web site that will explain how that happened, why it is causing modern humans to make billions of…
That last bit I think is stolen from Lazarus Long
Re: I got an FBI record at age 11 from dabbling in cryptography (2015)
#110This story (assuming it's true) should serve as an excellent example of why you need privacy even if you think that you don't. In peace time the NSA is only looking for "terrorist" and leaves everyone alone, but in case of war they would start creating lists for any and everything. All it takes is one "tough" agent trusting their gut feeling/algorithm based on your browsing history and shopping habits to put a target…
Very good point. Everything is framed under the status quo. If shit hits the fan, all those assumptions immediately fly out the window. If the writ of habeas corpus is suspended, NSA instantly transforms from shady to Stasi.