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Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

arstechnica.com

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Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#41

Post by game_the0ry »

chatmasta wrote: post #6

> At 4:58 pm, he wiped out a Department of Homeland Security database using the command “DROP DATABASE dhsproddb.” This article is hilarious. The two bickering brothers remind me of the guys in the Oceans movies played by Casey Affleck and Scott Caan. It’s amazing they got this close to sensitive data.

> At 4:59 pm, he asked an AI tool, “How do i clear system logs from SQL servers after deleting databases?” He later asked, “How do you clear all event and application logs from Microsoft windows server 2012?”

So many red flags, I can't even.

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#43

Post by tty456 »

deepsquirrelnet wrote: post #31
ccimmergreen wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So this was why the FBI Director Kash Patel was in a panic when he couldn't log in one day. Revoking credentials before firing someone makes a lot of sense in security.

Professionally, he spells his name thusly: FBI Director Ka$h Patel, so you know he’s serious.

Written in bourbon

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#44

Post by soVeryTired »

> On March 12, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Sohaib’s home in Alexandria. Agents grabbed plenty of tech gear but also turned up seven firearms and 370 rounds of .30 caliber ammunition. Given his former crimes, Sohaib should have had none of this.

For god's sake, don't commit crimes while you're committing crimes.

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#45

Post by tempaccount5050 »

scottlamb wrote: post #39

> [Opexus] said that “the individuals responsible for hiring the twins are no longer employed by Opexus.” Getting close to the classic Monty Python line: "Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked." Jokes aside, stuff like this sucks because I suspect many employers will take from it the most extreme, dehumanizing lessons, e.g.: (a) make firings [edit: including lay-offs] as…

When you are talking about access like they had "make firings as abrupt as possible including terminating all access immediately" not doing this is incompetence. This is absolutely a standard and has to be for these kinds of positions. I've never worked anywhere where it wasn't for the majority of IT staff. You meet with HR, someone clears your desk, and security walks you out.

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#46

Post by nodesocket »

miki123211 wrote: post #29
whynotmaybe wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remind me of a forum a long time ago that sent me my password in clear when I used the "forgot password" link. When I advised them that it was a bad idea to store password in clear, they answered that they keep it in clear so that they can send it when someone forget. Defeated by such argument, I deleted my account.

There was a screenshot of some website floating around a few years ago, where if you entered the correct password but a wrong username, it would helpfully tell you which user the password is really for.

Product manager; “That’s a great UX.”

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#47

Post by leptons »

hunterpayne wrote: post #28
alphawhisky wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, who else would you hire for the circus?

Perhaps don't hire people who act as foreign adversaries for government work? Is that really such an absurd proposition?

Uhh... The guy in charge of the whole thing does things a foreign adversary would do. Has for years and he's back for round two. He even tried to overthrow the government once.

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#48

Post by lostlogin »

game_the0ry wrote: post #41
chatmasta wrote: post #6

> At 4:58 pm, he wiped out a Department of Homeland Security database using the command “DROP DATABASE dhsproddb.” This article is hilarious. The two bickering brothers remind me of the guys in the Oceans movies played by Casey Affleck and Scott Caan. It’s amazing they got this close to sensitive data.

> At 4:59 pm, he asked an AI tool, “How do i clear system logs from SQL servers after deleting databases?” He later asked, “How do you clear all event and application logs from Microsoft windows server 2012?” So many red flags, I can't even.

Ready access to AI tools sure makes vandalism easy.

Re: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired

#50

Post by scottlamb »

tempaccount5050 wrote: post #45
scottlamb wrote: post #39

> [Opexus] said that “the individuals responsible for hiring the twins are no longer employed by Opexus.” Getting close to the classic Monty Python line: "Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked." Jokes aside, stuff like this sucks because I suspect many employers will take from it the most extreme, dehumanizing lessons, e.g.: (a) make firings [edit: including lay-offs] as…

When you are talking about access like they had "make firings as abrupt as possible including terminating all access immediately" not doing this is incompetence. This is absolutely a standard and has to be for these kinds of positions. I've never worked anywhere where it wasn't for the majority of IT staff. You meet with HR, someone clears your desk, and security walks you out.

> When you are talking about access like they had "make firings as abrupt as possible including terminating all access immediately" not doing this is incompetence.

You're proving my point—employers take the most extreme lesson and it's considered expected practice. They absolutely should have immediately terminated the credentials that granted unilateral access to sensitive databases. (Ideally those would never exist in the first place—there are two-person schemes. A pair of bad actors...well apparently happens according to this article...but is far more unusual.) But employers regularly (but shouldn't) terminate all access including credentials that allow last email to colleagues exchanging personal contact info or something.

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