Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Creating 911 Worm 365
mabu writes "The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that, roughly a year after his arrest, David Jeansonne pleaded guilty Tuesday to two criminal counts in a scheme that sent email to users of Microsoft's WebTV Internet service containing an attachment that, when opened, reprogrammed their computers to dial 9-1-1 without their knowledge. It still unclear what motivated this 43-year-old to launch such a bizarre worm."
Maybe he thought he was doing them a favor... (Score:5, Funny)
Hope he gets slammed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:5, Interesting)
Why? When I was 12 I was actually AFRAID to call 911 unless it was dead serious [excuse the pun]. Now I use it to report bad drivers and routinely see people get pulled over by cops cuz of it
At 12 you should know that 911 isn't a toy. And if you don't AND are capable of writing a worm that dials 911
Tom
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2)
If you don't know the difference, well... ask someone else.
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:5, Insightful)
It's interesting to me how rarely it comes up that anal rape isn't funny: that it's torture, and torture is a criminal human rights violation that would have us clamoring to invade another country. Yet we not only allow it, we practical cheer for it. On a large scale.
And for any fool who thinks it's about giving people their just desserts, tell me what happens when these anal gang raped men reenter society. What kind of respect for others do you think they'll have?
And what type of people are in prison anyways? Dangerous people? Or non-violent pot-smokers or what?
Anyways... sorry for the rant but it's amazing how at this point in human history mob mentality still rules even the most allegedly civilized nations.
Cheers.
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2)
A couple years ago I saw a drunk driver slam into a curb and jump his car about 5 feet in the air at around 2:00 AM. I called the local police and had absolutely no trouble getting through to dispatch. It was not
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2)
100% of the time so far the other driver gets scared from me following [at a safe dist/speed] and just admits to the cop that they cut us off or whatever.
And really we only do this maybe once every few months when someone does something really stupid [e.g. sends us into on coming trafic which happens more than you'd like to think].
We don't use it for minor problems [e.g. speeding 10km/h over the limit].
In one case though w
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:In Soviet Russia... (Score:2)
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2)
Congrats. You're life is so meaningless and inconsequential that you don't even post with an identity anymore. You might as well just suicide yourself now cuz nobody is looking.
Tom
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2, Offtopic)
See you don't care probably because you drive like a maniac too. But once you realize that "oncoming traffic is bad" [little math for you... you do 65mph, they do 65mph, when they hit you
But agian, you drive like a maniac likely and don't see the harm in "pwnzing the roadz"
Tom
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:3, Informative)
Jerk.
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:3, Insightful)
why does age matter? (Score:2)
wrong is wrong. if a 12 year old did this, it is just as much damage. hey, just a few days ago a court sent to prison a 13 year old who killed his grandparents because zoloft made him flip out. if a 13 year old gets nailed while on a doctor prescribed drug, who is going to give a 12 year old a break who is in their right state of mind?
i think what would be interesting is laws that punish parents for what thier kids do. b
Leniency != Exoneration (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:why does age matter? (Score:2)
I think your idea for laws to punish parents is good. The mother won't be 'out on the street', she'd be in jail, or whatever. The kid should end up in Juvi (or however the short version of it is spelled). The remaining children can either go to family or be taken into custody by
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Hope he gets slammed (Score:2)
Gah? (Score:5, Insightful)
What? Mean and stupid doesn't cover it?
It's like asking why that person cut you off in traffic endangering the lives of a half-dozen others... cuz their mean and stupid. It's not some huge racist or plot
The guy probably thought he was hot shit writing a virus [instead of something productive like an OSS project that could benefit others...] and released something destructive.
The balance in me wants to say "for every good there is a bad" but fuck it. The dude's just plain mean and stupid.
Tom
Re:Gah? (Score:4, Informative)
What? Mean and stupid doesn't cover it?
I hate to admit it, but I often entertain myself when extremely bored with yahoo chat rooms and the like. Without fail, the biggest idiot script kiddies in the room, running stupid booter programs they downloaded off the web, are adults. They run the gamut from 20s through the 50s. It's really sad to see supposed adults taking such glee in childish bullshit.
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
Like the sort of folk who can figure out a 12 member clan, organize meetings, tourneys and the like but can't string 8 words properly on a resume to get a job...Let's not get into the "boom!! headshot!" crowd though...
It's nothing impressive to write a worm. Let's see
1. Program that cna send email [not hard]
2. Program that does bad [not hard]
3.
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
Do you think if it was more challenging to do this, it would have a more "cool" factor making it okay?
Re:Gah? (Score:5, Informative)
The point is they think they g0t m4dz zk111z for writing some virus. When in reality a virus [specially for win32 users] isn't that hard to get out there.
So maybe if they realize that if they want to show off "mad skillz" they should just do something more productive cuz at least then they can brag about it and get mad job that pays mad money so they can have mad good toys.
Think about it.
Even if a virus WAS hard to write
And you could kiss government jobs goodbye too. In Canada for instance they get the RCMP to do a background check and shit so they know your life story.
In no way is it a smart thing todo and all it does is cause others harm. Hence Stupid and Mean.
Tom
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
Stupid brain no worky... but you get the point already so shuddup
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
Your comments imply that getting a job is a big motivation. Maybe it is for some people, while for others it is not. In any case, sadly, having written such a virus would probably be good resume fodder for a security consultant. Lots of people buy into the whole "evil hacker turned to good" stereotype.
I've known people who played around with writing worms and viruses, mostly as harmless proof of concept code, running in a sequestered environment. Most of them did it, just to see if they could, and as a
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
Heh, if only that were true. Maybe they check more thoroughly after 9/11, but some time a few decades ago, my dad landed a civilian government job in some military office while he was wanted for something or other relating to his more dubious anti-nuclear protest activities. (He was a bit of a radical hippie.) They fired him when he didn't show up to work one day. Of course, the reason he didn't show up was because the US Marshals had finally caught up with h
Re:Gah? (Score:5, Funny)
It's not some huge racist or plot
I'm glad it's not some huge racist. I met this 6 foot 3, Nazi skinhead one time, and man was he a huge pain.
Re:Gah? (Score:2)
I meant to write "some huge racist or other motiviating" something
basically I meant "he didn't have an elaborate agenda". Let's see
1. Be prick
2. Be mean prick
That's about as deep as the common virus writer gets.
Tom
+++ATH0 Exploit (Score:2)
See also:
http://www.attrition.org/security/denial/w/mod-at h
The motivation for this? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why do these people think that causing damage through an exploit is anything but stupid? It's not clever since they don't even find the exploits, they just use them.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The motivation for this? (Score:2)
They make underwater fuses. I found them useful when using Estes rocket engines on model boats. Fireworks that have that thick black twisted fuse with twisted cotten will often stay lit underwater. Smokebombs and cherry bombs often do. I've seen some bottlerockets with underwater fuses which were useful for playing battleship on a pond.
You can find Firecrackers [sheltonfireworks.com] with underwater fuses here.
Now why anyone would put a cherry bomb in a
Re:The motivation for this? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The motivation for this? (Score:3, Insightful)
None is not an answer to that question, and dick is broad, relative, and just plain stupid. Maybe he is a "dick", but that does not clear up a complicated issue such as creating such a coordinated attack. There is obviously some sort of motivation behind something as direct as attacking 911 call centers. Although unreasonable as it sounds to a normal person, he himself did it for some reason. Please do not waste our time with such quick thoughtless posts.
Were you motivated to
Re:The motivation for this? (Score:5, Insightful)
Some people are just griefers in real life. You know the type online, I'm sure. Well, some people are simply like that in reality. They just like destroying things and making other people unhappy.
I think there was a good Calvin and Hobbes strip that kind of explains it, where Calvin explains that the best way to get rid of a bad mood is to give it to someone else.
Same basic idea - some people feel happy by making other people miserable.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Guess (Score:2)
hehe (Score:5, Funny)
Sorry wait, this is slashdot.
Re:hehe (Score:2)
Motive is quite simple (Score:5, Funny)
That's what virus writing used to be all about. Darn kids and their spam n' such. Why in MY day we wrote virii for the pure joy of destruction and chaos!
Re:Motive is quite simple (Score:2)
Re:Motive is quite simple (Score:2, Funny)
And in MY day, we knew what the plural of "virus" was.
Re:Okay kids, repeat after me... (Score:2)
Look up. Do you see that? It's the joke. It's going over your head.
You'd seriously think... (Score:4, Interesting)
Sadly, I've found that the great majority of people I know apparently have the intelligence of a WebTV user.
This either means that even rudimentary computer security is far too complex for the average person, or that I need to get some new friends.
Re:You'd seriously think... (Score:2)
Neither. People are stupid. The end.
Re:You'd seriously think... (Score:2)
> other people are stupid. I bet the person who
> fixes your car is saying the same kind of stuff
> about you
Ah young Padawan Learner, go to groups.google.com and search on "webtv" and you will be enlightened.
As a group of Internet users, WebTVers occupy a similar ecological niche to pre-Cambrian tidal slime.
Re:You'd seriously think... (Score:2)
I mean, most modern incarnations of anything approaching an email client will shout at you if there's attachments it doesn't trust. Even Hotmail warns you. Ignoring the warning boxes is like ignoring the fact that your entire car's dashboard is flashing "Engine Warning". It's user stupidity.
Re:You'd seriously think... (Score:2)
I also obey posted traffic laws and keep my car within state requirements. If there's a problem with my car revealed by a scheduled state inspection, I *do* fix it if I know how to, or pay someone else to do it for me.
Now I have gone to a car shop and said 'I hear a certain sound coming from underneath my car from what sounds like the left rear wheel. Would you please check in that area for problems?'
H
In other news (Score:3, Funny)
8)
DoS (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:DoS (Score:5, Funny)
> attack against the 911 system.
If he'd done it against the American Idol voting hotline, he would have been doing a public service.
Re:Really? Is that what he was doing??? Never gues (Score:2)
Hmmm (Score:3, Funny)
21 recipients=Worm outbreak? (Score:5, Insightful)
Next on slashdot: Bill Gates picks nose, AGAIN! Film at 11.
Re:21 recipients=Worm outbreak? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:21 recipients=Worm outbreak? (Score:2)
Re:21 recipients=Worm outbreak? (Score:2, Offtopic)
I doubt it. I'm pretty sure that he hires people to pick his nose for him.
Re:21 recipients=Worm outbreak? (Score:2)
If he _had_ succeeded in spreading this thing nationwide (plus whatever countries use '911' as their emergency number and support WebTV) I'd propose sending the idiot to Abu Ghraib.
(CHIP) Unit (Score:3, Funny)
CHIP unit? Never heard of it.
Email Friends Virus - Get Busted! (Score:5, Insightful)
If only... (Score:5, Insightful)
He got his name on Slashdot (Score:5, Funny)
Re:He got his name on Slashdot (Score:2)
Like Peter Cooper!
The devil made him do it. (Score:2)
One thing is clear. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:One thing is clear. (Score:2)
This is something that richly deserves jail time. Your "corporate crimes" comment is pretty nonsensical.
In the UK (Score:3, Funny)
Tape answering machine? (Score:2)
Re:Tape answering machine? (Score:2)
The emergency number there is 999, or 112 (the european standard).
Re:In the UK (Score:2)
Heh (Score:2, Funny)
Am I missing something? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Am I missing something? (Score:3, Funny)
Director... what's my motivation? (Score:2, Insightful)
He's an asshole?
Reason (Score:2, Funny)
Like he's going to pull some great reason out of his ass. What could he possibly say that would make reasonable people say "Ohhh! No wonder!"?
Some details (Score:5, Informative)
One extremely egotistical type generated a great deal of dislike, if not outright hate. Jeansonne was part of this individual's clique. The actual "exploit" is very simple to do and well known. Jeansonne was just the first person to combine the requisite amount of vindictiveness and stupidity to actually do this. Almost all WebTv users have html signitures that rival web pages in their complexity. A simple
was all that was necessary.
Having the police arrived unexpectedly at their door was very unsettling for the mostly female recipients of the email. Some were accused of making the calls on their own and threatened with arrest for missusing the 911 system.
This was not a virus, but a direct personal attack against the victims of the email.
Re:Unclear? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry. I must disagree. Flooding the Larry King Show with fake calls is somewhat funny. Flooding a 911 center with fake calls is NOT.
Re:Unclear? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Unclear? (Score:2)
If you don't get it, don't mod it.
Re:Unclear? (Score:2)
He references the very funny Terrible Secret of Space [jonathonrobinson.com].
Re:This is why hacking is evil (Score:2)
Re:This is why hacking is evil (Score:3, Funny)
Mo-dem? What is this mo-dem of which you speak?
Re:This is why hacking is evil (Score:2)
Re:motivation (Score:3, Funny)
Re:motivation (Score:2)
hahaha!
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:4, Insightful)
Where will it end? Frankly, I'd rather never see it get started.
As soon as the OS becomes your own personal government controlled police force, then we'll really be sorry.
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2)
That's not what I said. I said it should require explicit authorization from the user. For example, a dialog box which says "Your modem is attempting to dial 911 -- do you wish to allow this operation?"
It's no different than having a safety on a gun. The printer comparison is just a strawman.
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2)
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2)
Don't unfairly truncate my statement. I said without explicit authorization. And I never mentioned the word "law" anywhere, nor had I even imagined making this a law. That came from YOUR mind.
What if I bring my computer over to the UK, where the emergency number isn't 911?
In that case you would presumably be running the UK version of Windows which would be programmed with the appropriate
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2, Informative)
I dont think so. First of all, 911 is not an emergency number everywhere in the world. For example in may countries 100 is the emergency number. And 100 (at least with my provider ) links me to the directory service or something. So we would need to select the blocked numbers based on the country of residence. Which jest means more complications. And ofcourse ppl might want to u
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2)
Thus my use of the term "emergency response number" instead of "911" in the very sentence you quoted. Why are people so quick to criticize when they haven't even read my statement carefully?
And ofcourse ppl might want to use the computer as an emergency service (Not with MS Win though ;)) , like dial 911 if the microphones in your yard detect a shotgun going off
Then, of course, it could be disabled. I never, anywh
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2)
It reminds me of some tech support story where someone enabled dial 9 for an outside line, long distance so dial 1 and for the number they used the syntax 1-xxx-xxxx. So the modem would end up dialing 9-1-1. I don't know if it's a true story but it sounds possible.
I'm not sure it would be a good idea to have modems start restricting your ability to dial 911.
It would be a damn useful feature for an alarm system. Someone br
Re:This is just dumb. (Score:2)
And I should clarify that I am not advocating a law here, just saying it would be nice if OS makers would voluntarily add this sort of safety feature. As I said to the other person who responded to my comment, this is no different than a safety on a gun. It doesn't restrict your use, it simply helps prevent accidents.
Imagine if there was a radio signal you could emit
Jeez, calm down man. (Score:2)
Re:Jeez, calm down man. (Score:2)
Re:possible answer (Score:2)
They may do it in order to get a job later on working for an anti-virus company ( think of the retired burglars on that new discovery channel show " it takes a theif").
POC?? Are you Nutz? (Score:3, Insightful)