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 ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************