On Fri, 3 Sep 1993 02:20:00 GMT, Bill Murray <WHMurray@DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL> writes -

I am reminded of a story, perhaps apocryphal. In the middle seventies Fortune magazine was working a feature on computer crime. Most of the experts that they interviewed told them that the security on most of the nation's commercial time sharing systems was pretty good. However, they admitted that one convicted felon and hacker, Jerry Schnieder, would tell them otherwise. Of course Fortune had to interview him.

I remember this story, Bill, and I find this correlation interesting. It's funny how Schneider's name hasn't really surfaced in such a long time. In fact, once I think about the real parallels to Herren Doktor's lip service, I find it even frightening, given the anticipated impact with which her opinions seem to affect governmentalism. For what its worth, there was another interesting item concerning Schneider which appeared in Info Security News this issue, in their "Top Ten Events" article of the top ten info-security events since the inception of computers. I relay the pertinent portion of this article below: "Jerry Schneider was not the first computer crook, which he became at 18; nor was he the first computer security consultant, which he became at age 21. Still, his antics on both sides of the law helped bring computer crime to the awareness of the public in general and business managers in particular. Although still in high school in 1968, Schneider started a company called Creative Systems Enterprises and began selling electronic telecommunications gadgets he invented. Each day as he passed the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company office, he scavenged the firm's dumpster for discarded equipment that could be used to build his gadgets. He also collected a wide variety of documents, ranging from invoices to training manuals. Within just a few years, he became an expert on telephone company technology and business, and reportedly knew more about Pacific Telephone's telephone equipment supply procedures than any of its employees. In June, 1971, Schneider set into motion an elaborate plan to steal new telephone equipment from Pacific Telephone and resell it as refurbished equipment through Creative Systems. Eventually the scam would net him hundred of thousands of dollars worth of Pacific Telephone equipment. Scneider accessed Pacific Telephone's computerized ordering system and by using a telephone card dialer succeeded in placing orders for equipment. To complete the scam, he needed to learn the telephone equipment budgets for individual telephone company's sites, equipment inventory levels and other key pieces of information. He gathered the required information by getting access codes to a commercial time-sharing service used by the telephone company for inventory control and parts distribution. In January 1972, acting on information provided to them by one of Schneider's former employees, law enforcers raided Schneider's offices and a warehouse where they found equipment the district attorney said was worth $8,000. They also learned at that time that Schneider had stolen a total of $125,000 worth of equipment. Later, Schneider would admit that he had taken close to $900,000 worth of goods. The day after his arrest on February 8, 1972, newspapers across the country called it one of the most famous computer crimes ever. "How he Folded, Spindled, and Mutilated," one headline said. In a plea bargain, Schneider agreed to plead guilty to one count of grand theft of $5,000 worth of equipment. In July, he was sentenced to two monyhs in a minimum security corrections institution. In all, however, served 40 days and paid a $500 fine. Later that year, Schneider, then only 21 years old, formed a computer consulting firm catering to companies that did not want to get ripped off by cyber-crooks. He stayed in the business until 1977. Today, he owns a firm that sells off-shore banking services. 8<------ Gut Here --------------- Gee, imagine that. Ye olde Spooge Meister spooge /spooj/ 1. Inexplicable or arcane code <spooge@dev.null.net> or random and probably incorrect output from a computer program.