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The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

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Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#11

Post by koeselitz »

Nrsolis wrote: post #6
lincolnwebs wrote: post #4

If that were my server, I'd pull the data needed and burn the hardware. Never use it again.

NFW. I'd build a new machine from scratch, at a different datacenter, using pristine code and data from backups. Once a machine has been in an adversary's possession, not even the data is safe. That said, the FBI probably just imaged the drives. They're not as clueful/devious as many think they are.

>> "That said, the FBI probably just imaged the drives. They're not as clueful/devious as many think they are."

I would agree, but it also doesn't seem like some kind of act of charity that they plugged the thing in and tried to reconnect it and made sure it was apparently working before they left.

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#12

Post by e40 »

ahi wrote: post #2

A smaller issue in this story but still important; what kind of data center gets a search warrant and server pulled, and doesn't immediately notify their client? Are they legally prohibited from doing so? Then they let the FBI put the possibly compromised server back on the network? WTF?

I depends on the type of warrant, but there are warrants that require silence under threat of prosecution.

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#13

Post by danssig »

maratd wrote: post #9
ahi wrote: post #2

A smaller issue in this story but still important; what kind of data center gets a search warrant and server pulled, and doesn't immediately notify their client? Are they legally prohibited from doing so? Then they let the FBI put the possibly compromised server back on the network? WTF?

> Are they legally prohibited from doing so? Yes. They can be charged with obstruction of justice or interfering with an investigation.

Seems like a proper time for civil disobedience.

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#14

Post by RyanMBoland »

I'm a student at the University of Pittsburgh. From that point of view, this seems like a perfectly fine action to take. The FBI agents may have disrupted service to a few hundred users, but these threats were affecting thousands of people.

I don't know if these anonymous email threats were unprecedented or not, but they certainly present a huge challenge to law enforcement. What would have happened if the people responsible didn't just stop?

Of course, you could subscribe to the view of the conspiracy theorists among us who feel that the FBI did actually catch the people responsible and are now employing them. :P

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#17

Post by BryanB55 »

RyanMBoland wrote: post #14

I'm a student at the University of Pittsburgh. From that point of view, this seems like a perfectly fine action to take. The FBI agents may have disrupted service to a few hundred users, but these threats were affecting thousands of people. I don't know if these anonymous email threats were unprecedented or not, but they certainly present a huge challenge to law enforcement. What would have happened if the people res…

I pretty much agree, they talked about "innocent peoples privacy" but if they are truly innocent then it shouldn't matter if the FBI sees their information. If my data were on that server and I was doing nothing wrong I really don't think I would mind handing it over to the FBI to help find even the smallest threat to our country.

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#18

Post by RyanMBoland »

BryanB55 wrote: post #17
RyanMBoland wrote: post #14

I'm a student at the University of Pittsburgh. From that point of view, this seems like a perfectly fine action to take. The FBI agents may have disrupted service to a few hundred users, but these threats were affecting thousands of people. I don't know if these anonymous email threats were unprecedented or not, but they certainly present a huge challenge to law enforcement. What would have happened if the people res…

I pretty much agree, they talked about "innocent peoples privacy" but if they are truly innocent then it shouldn't matter if the FBI sees their information. If my data were on that server and I was doing nothing wrong I really don't think I would mind handing it over to the FBI to help find even the smallest threat to our country.

But, was anyone's personal data really on that server? If it's an anonymous emailing service I would think that just the service was disrupted.

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#19

Post by ahi »

maratd wrote: post #9
ahi wrote: post #2

A smaller issue in this story but still important; what kind of data center gets a search warrant and server pulled, and doesn't immediately notify their client? Are they legally prohibited from doing so? Then they let the FBI put the possibly compromised server back on the network? WTF?

> Are they legally prohibited from doing so? Yes. They can be charged with obstruction of justice or interfering with an investigation.

Still doesn't make much sense. The client is going to figure it out. Also, a search warrant doesn't give the Feds the ability to put it back. Maybe with a national security letter for the purpose of putting spyware on it? But even then the server owner is going to notice that their server went missing for a couple days. "Must have gone for a long walk. Glad it's back," is not how I would approach it.

Re: The FBI took -- and mysteriously returned -- their server

#20

Post by maratd »

ahi wrote: post #19
maratd wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are they legally prohibited from doing so? Yes. They can be charged with obstruction of justice or interfering with an investigation.

Still doesn't make much sense. The client is going to figure it out. Also, a search warrant doesn't give the Feds the ability to put it back. Maybe with a national security letter for the purpose of putting spyware on it? But even then the server owner is going to notice that their server went missing for a couple days. "Must have gone for a long walk. Glad it's back," is not how I would approach it.

> Still doesn't make much sense.

On the contrary, it makes perfect sense. It gives the FBI or any law enforcement agency sufficient leeway to do as they please, which is always the intent of such laws.

> The client is going to figure it out.

The only thing the client knows is that their server isn't working. Not that they are about to be raped by the feds.

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