Fate of Terry Childs Now In Jury's Hands

snydeq writes "Closing arguments concluded Monday in the city of San Francisco's case against Terry Childs, the network administrator charged with violating California hacking laws by refusing to hand over network passwords for the city's FiberWAN during a 12-day period in 2008. Childs was charged in July 2008 and has been held on $5 million bail ever since. The highly technical trial, which featured testimony from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Cisco Chief Security Officer John Stewart, has dragged on for nearly six months. By Monday, five of the 18 jurors and alternates selected for the trial had dropped out, and the remaining jurors seemed relieved to see the arguments wrap up as they left the courtroom Monday afternoon. They will return Tuesday to start their deliberations. Childs faces five years in prison if he is convicted for disrupting service to the city's computer system by withholding administrative passwords — a verdict that, if rendered, puts all IT admins in danger."

Re:honestly...

[oatworm]

It's true! Hence why flat earth theory, a geocentric universe, phlogiston theory, and about 90% of the stuff Aristotle wrote about medicine have all retained their relevancy and veracity after all of these years.

Re:Oh shut up

[Anonymous Coward]

You do not have a real, proper God Complex until you've either been fired or quit over this sort of nonsense.

Securing systems from anyone who's not you and therefore considered an inferior being is just part of the job.

FTFY.

Re:Oh shut up

[Culture20]

It is real simple: Whoever owns the systems, and their designated agents, have a right to have access. If they ask you for access, give it to them. It's that simple. You don't have to give them your password, you do have to give them a password that gives them access.

Let me provide you with a real world example:
Edward Diego should have never been given access to Shodan. Sure, a hacker gave him access, not one of the station admins, but that's quibbling. The main point is that stupid people shouldn't mess with AIs controlling space mining lasers and robots.

Re:honestly...

[Ihmhi]

Ten bucks says if he gets off the case he'll have a job as an iPhone hardware tester at Apple.

APPLE EXEC: "Where's the 5G prototype?!"

CHILDS: "I will personally hand it to Mr. Jobs and only Mr. Jobs only, as I can't trust the rest of you with such sensitive technology!"