Moderator
4p3 comments posted · 0 followers · following 0
16 years ago @ SC Magazine US - SANS finds pros overlo... · 0 replies · +1 points
http://www.sans.org/top-cyber-security-risks/
17 years ago @ SC Magazine US - Cybersecurity report u... · 0 replies · +1 points
17 years ago @ SC Magazine US - Botnet creator pleads ... · 0 replies · +1 points
I'm a little shocked, and somewhat saddened by this news.
If Mr. Milmont was alone in writing Nugache, and did so when he was in his late teens, he is obviously very intelligent, learns fast, and is a good programmer. He obviously spent a lot of time studying peer-to-peer protocols, object-oriented and client/server programming concepts, and used some attack tactics that I've not seen before.
From a technical perspective, what he accomplished is quite impressive.
Bruce Schneier is right that, "Prosecuting some kid in Wyoming isn't going to make a difference to international hacking groups," but I think the issue is more complex than that. This does not negate the fact that Mr. Milmont did admit to committing criminal acts and causing innocent people financial harm, nor that federal law enforcement has a responsibility to respond to victims of crimes and to uphold the laws.
I wouldn't dare try to speak for Bruce, but I interpret his comment as suggesting we need more and better research into preventive defenses and effective responses to achieve a deterrent against all levels of computer crime and cyber conflict directed at our nation, and I agree.
What saddens me is that Mr. Milmont is the kind of young talent that I believe we need to encourage to get into the academic system, and to use their talents for good. For someone with such obvious skills at that age to decide that using their skills for criminal purposes, rather than helping improve the state of computer security in our country, is a waste. We need those talents, desperately, in the government and private sector. I look for people with these kind of skills to attract as students and keep around as research assistants.
If an avenue for gaining reward and recognition for defending computers would have prevented his making the choices he did, I wish our society could find a way to provide that avenue.
--
Dave Dittrich