IP: Navy investigating GSU computer hacker

["Vladimir Z. Nuri" <vznuri@netcom.com>]

From: believer@telepath.com
Subject: IP: Navy investigating GSU computer hacker
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 12:42:56 -0500
To: believer@telepath.com

Source:  Savannah Morning News
http://www.savannahmorningnews.com/smn/stories/093098/LOCgsuhacker.html

U.S. Navy investigating GSU computer hacker 

University computer was used to break into a government
computer.

By Jenel Williams Few
Savannah Morning News

Someone used a Georgia Southern University writing and linguistics
department classroom computer to break into government files and the
U.S. Navy wants to know why.

The Naval Criminal Investigation Office is looking into a computer
hacking case at Georgia Southern University, according to Bryan
Stamper, special agent in charge at the Jacksonville, Fla., office.

John Glacier, assistant director for technical support at Georgia
Southern, said the school was recently asked to find out which of its
computers was used to access computer files from a government
agency.

"We believe it was from our model classroom during a scheduled
classtime," Glacier said.

He tracked the school's computer records and discovered that someone
used a computer in the writing and linguistics department's model
classroom to hack into a government computer while a class was in
session.

"They ran a file transfer protocol program, which allows you to
download files and gain access to someone else's computer," Glacier
said.

Details about the Navy's investigation will be made available at a later
date.

Computer hacking can carry serious federal penalties, according to
Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent William Kirkconnell. An
innocent infiltration may not merit any punishment, but using a computer
to steal classified government information could be considered
espionage, he said.

"It depends on what agency was affected, whether it was done
maliciously and whether the information was used for criminal
purposes," he said.

Glacier said he does not know who used the campus computer to break
into government files or how much information was accessed.

"They wouldn't say if files were downloaded or uploaded," Glacier said,
referring to bringing information into the GSU computer or taking
information from the GSU computer and sending it to another one.
"They haven't questioned any students."

Although he doesn't know the culprit's motivation, Glacier said these
types of incidents often occur among bright, curious students.

"College-age students want to apply the knowledge they have gained
about computers," he said. "What they've learned in high school and
college intuitively generates curiosity and they want a challenge."

Last year, in a similar incident, Glacier said a hacker tried to hide some
computer mischief by calling a Georgia Southern computer and linking
up to computers from the Philippines to the Midwest before breaking
into government files.

"It alarms me that we would be used that way, but it occurs around the
world and it's not too hard to use computers this way," Glacier said.

Higher education reporter Jenel Williams Few can be reached at
652-0325.

Web posted Wednesday, September 30, 1998
-----------------------
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-----------------------




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