Prisoner gets 18 months for hacking prison computer

Francis "Frank" Janosko, a Massachusetts prison inmate, has been given an extra 18-month sentence for hacking a prison computer while he was in jail. The computer had been provided to inmates to help them with legal research for appeals.

Janosko hacked the system and stole personal data on 1100 prison employees, including Social Security Numbers and home addresses.

ComputerWorld explains that the PC used was a "thin client computer that simply connected to another machine on the network and did not store any data itself. The only program it was supposed to run was the prison's legal research application."

Prosecutors say the inmate "exploited an idiosyncrasy in the legal research software" which allowed him to access other programs as well as send emails and even download videos.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 Dec 2009 21:07

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25 comments

21Q

This guy is my hero. I didn't know you could do that via a thin client.

26.12.2009 22:06 #1

spartybob

As someone who is employed in the prison system, I can say this does not surprise me one bit. You have idiots who work there, who's only concern is to make a convicts life easy. I wish our legal system had as much concern for the victims as they do for these pieces of sh@#s! Why don't we just give them the key to the joint and be done with it.

27.12.2009 00:18 #2

jony218

Of course no one in the prison workforce is going to get reprimanded for allowing prisoners to use a nonsecure computer. The "innocent" prisoner is a real trooper and is gonna take one for the warden.

27.12.2009 00:37 #3

xboxdvl2

i don't think the prisoner should be punished for this i think the idiots that gave him access to a computer should be punished.

PS2 with 12 games.

27.12.2009 01:16 #4

H08

Originally posted by xboxdvl2: i don't think the prisoner should be punished for this i think the idiots that gave him access to a computer should be punished.you got to be kidding me right? Ya dont blame me on shooting a guy, i was given access to a gun from a Gun Store, blame them

27.12.2009 01:27 #5

Deadrum33

Originally posted by jony218: The "innocent" prisoner is a real trooper and is gonna take one for the warden.
Was this a reference to prison sex? Methinks the computer guy gets tits tattooed on his back quicker than... say... the guy who is in for double homicide?

27.12.2009 01:58 #6

beanos66

Quote:Originally posted by xboxdvl2: i don't think the prisoner should be punished for this i think the idiots that gave him access to a computer should be punished.you got to be kidding me right? Ya dont blame me on shooting a guy, i was given access to a gun from a Gun Store, blame themYES! exactly and smith and wesson, and remmington and charlton hestonton

27.12.2009 08:33 #7

xboxdvl2

Quote:Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i don't think the prisoner should be punished for this i think the idiots that gave him access to a computer should be punished.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you got to be kidding me right? Ya dont blame me on shooting a guy, i was given access to a gun from a Gun Store, blame them
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YES! exactly and smith and wesson, and remmington and charlton hestonton
I dont know how it works in america but from what i hear they are pretty slack on their gun laws.In australia you need to go through a police clearence check and obtain a gun licence before you can legally work into a gun store and buy a gun.if a gun store sells you a gun(when they shouldnt) or you tell them that you need it to shoot people then they should be prosecuted and probably can.
Back to the prisoner he didnt install software to illegally obtain information he just went through the computer and if prisons are giving people access to a computer they should moniter the prisoner who's using the computer& they shouldnt have confidential information on the computer.

PS2 with 12 games.

27.12.2009 09:20 #8

aldan

arent we missing something here.what the prisoner did is called identity theft and he sure as hell wasnt doing it to show what a computer whiz he is.18 months was pretty light.just goes to show what a f***en holiday camp prisons are these days.i cant understand anyone looking up to that peice of shit.

27.12.2009 14:59 #9

pcrazy99

Quote:Quote:Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i don't think the prisoner should be punished for this i think the idiots that gave him access to a computer should be punished.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you got to be kidding me right? Ya dont blame me on shooting a guy, i was given access to a gun from a Gun Store, blame them
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YES! exactly and smith and wesson, and remmington and charlton hestonton
I dont know how it works in america but from what i hear they are pretty slack on their gun laws.In australia you need to go through a police clearence check and obtain a gun licence before you can legally work into a gun store and buy a gun.if a gun store sells you a gun(when they shouldnt) or you tell them that you need it to shoot people then they should be prosecuted and probably can.
Back to the prisoner he didnt install software to illegally obtain information he just went through the computer and if prisons are giving people access to a computer they should moniter the prisoner who's using the computer& they shouldnt have confidential information on the computer.If you think gun laws make it any safer you are wrong. If I want to legally purchase a gun I have to jump through hoops to prove I am worthy. If I want to purchase an illegal gun for the purpose of committing a crime it is much easier to obtain one with no paper trail.

I don't have a problem with the prisoner being punished. I think the person or persons who responsible for this breach should also be punished, either monetarily or through termination of employment.

27.12.2009 15:50 #10

Pnub

You can tell no one posting in here has actually been to prison...

27.12.2009 16:11 #11

mukraker

I noticed the comment above about prison camps. Here is a great post on the subject by a recent former inmate at a Federal Bureau of Prisons camp called Schuylkill FCI in Minersville Pennsylvania. Big-time financial crook Joe Nacchio is doing his six years there now. It sounds like one big party on the taxpayers dollar.

http://fprison.wordpress.com

Some justice.

27.12.2009 16:28 #12

crunk15

the guy should be punished but so should the warden for his lack of insite on security. and that guy is my hero too but simply for his skills not his actions

27.12.2009 16:59 #13

slickwill

Well this incident will allow the creators of the software to patch that exploit up to prevent further incidents....if all the prisons using this software upgrade to the latest version that is....anyways.

Why is everyone so bent up on playing the blame game. If anything there isn't just a single person to blame, but a variety of factors to consider. We can go as far and say the system of which the American people are identified via SSN is outdated and mainly posses a risk for someone's identity to be stolen. So rather than changing the system, they just continue with it and allow for identities to be stolen. If the system had changed to a point where getting hold of a SSN held no threat to someone's identity to be stolen, then the prisoner would have no motivation to steal them in the first place.

All the news reports is the end result of the problem and never reports on the root cause of all these problems. The reason for this is to keep us all in the dark about the root causes b/c they usually point to the current system in which we live in and if the majority of the population realized this, they system will fail.

Also most of the people always blame the criminals instead of the environment in which they live in, which leads up to their behavior in the first place, as thought it's all their fault and not societies. All the prison system is doing is taking care of the end results, rather than trying to fix the environment, which leads to those results, and why do you ask? It's because prisons are a means for the giant corporations to sell their merchandise and make a profit, so they can climb up the luxury stratification latter.

Pretty much all articles can be traced to a problem within the current system, and I'm not just talking about the system of the U.S., but all systems of the world, b/c they share a root commonality.

So we must all wake up and realize the true atrocities that are happening around us, and not think everything is fine b/c the mainstream filtered/censored news is making the world appear that way. Spread the news to as many people as possible, so that we can all rise up and protect our rights and liberties.

27.12.2009 20:15 #14

ZippyDSM

Quote:Quote:Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i don't think the prisoner should be punished for this i think the idiots that gave him access to a computer should be punished.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you got to be kidding me right? Ya dont blame me on shooting a guy, i was given access to a gun from a Gun Store, blame them
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YES! exactly and smith and wesson, and remmington and charlton hestonton
I dont know how it works in america but from what i hear they are pretty slack on their gun laws.In australia you need to go through a police clearence check and obtain a gun licence before you can legally work into a gun store and buy a gun.if a gun store sells you a gun(when they shouldnt) or you tell them that you need it to shoot people then they should be prosecuted and probably can.
Back to the prisoner he didnt install software to illegally obtain information he just went through the computer and if prisons are giving people access to a computer they should moniter the prisoner who's using the computer& they shouldnt have confidential information on the computer.For a hand gun in most places in the US you go through 2 layers of background checks and when they clear you can get the gun you bought.

But laws and rules only effect the lawfull those outside the law are not effected by it until their luck runs out.

28.12.2009 07:03 #15

grkblood

great read

28.12.2009 09:17 #16

DXR88

Why in the hell are we giving inmates computer times. Fuking a why dont we just give them all a nice 32 inch lcd screen in every cell while where at it. Rob a Bank, kill a few people and live luxurious in a cell.

break your back working hard and always try to scavenge what you don't have,only to get pissed on at the end of every month.

28.12.2009 15:35 #17

H08

Originally posted by DXR88: Why in the hell are we giving inmates computer times. Fuking a why dont we just give them all a nice 32 inch lcd screen in every cell while where at it. Rob a Bank, kill a few people and live luxurious in a cell.

break your back working hard and always try to scavenge what you don't have,only to get pissed on at the end of every month."The computer had been provided to inmates to help them with legal research for appeals."

28.12.2009 16:11 #18

DXR88

Quote:Originally posted by DXR88: Why in the hell are we giving inmates computer times. Fuking a why dont we just give them all a nice 32 inch lcd screen in every cell while where at it. Rob a Bank, kill a few people and live luxurious in a cell.

break your back working hard and always try to scavenge what you don't have,only to get pissed on at the end of every month."The computer had been provided to inmates to help them with legal research for appeals."so you hire an attorney get all you inmates together sit there ass down and explain to them what there rights are. or give them papers with everything they need to know.

28.12.2009 16:19 #19

david94

it is the wardens fault as much as the guy that hacked the computer.
if someone broke into your house because you didnt lock the doors or had weak security, it is your fault as much as theirs because it wouldnt of happened if you had locked up your house, in this case, the guy wouldnt of been able to hack the computer if they kept a close eye on him or the computer.

28.12.2009 18:12 #20

xboxdvl2

Quote:it is the wardens fault as much as the guy that hacked the computer.
if someone broke into your house because you didnt lock the doors or had weak security, it is your fault as much as theirs because it wouldnt of happened if you had locked up your house, in this case, the guy wouldnt of been able to hack the computer if they kept a close eye on him or the computer.
i thought i'd bold that because it sounds wrong.if someone broke into your house it means that gained access illegally usually by breaking something.if they walked in your house through the front door and stole something cause it was unlocked its your own fault.I personally dont even think the prisoner hacked anything he probably just used a normal option on the computer.again i'd have to say blame the prison or the people that gave him access to a computer which contains 1100 prisoners personal details.

PS2 with 12 games.

30.12.2009 08:20 #21

marrix

Originally posted by slickwill: Well this incident will allow the creators of the software to patch that exploit up to prevent further incidents....if all the prisons using this software upgrade to the latest version that is....anyways.

Why is everyone so bent up on playing the blame game. If anything there isn't just a single person to blame, but a variety of factors to consider. We can go as far and say the system of which the American people are identified via SSN is outdated and mainly posses a risk for someone's identity to be stolen. So rather than changing the system, they just continue with it and allow for identities to be stolen. If the system had changed to a point where getting hold of a SSN held no threat to someone's identity to be stolen, then the prisoner would have no motivation to steal them in the first place.

All the news reports is the end result of the problem and never reports on the root cause of all these problems. The reason for this is to keep us all in the dark about the root causes b/c they usually point to the current system in which we live in and if the majority of the population realized this, they system will fail.

Also most of the people always blame the criminals instead of the environment in which they live in, which leads up to their behavior in the first place, as thought it's all their fault and not societies. All the prison system is doing is taking care of the end results, rather than trying to fix the environment, which leads to those results, and why do you ask? It's because prisons are a means for the giant corporations to sell their merchandise and make a profit, so they can climb up the luxury stratification latter.

Pretty much all articles can be traced to a problem within the current system, and I'm not just talking about the system of the U.S., but all systems of the world, b/c they share a root commonality.

So we must all wake up and realize the true atrocities that are happening around us, and not think everything is fine b/c the mainstream filtered/censored news is making the world appear that way. Spread the news to as many people as possible, so that we can all rise up and protect our rights and liberties.

30.12.2009 09:16 #22

marrix

30.12.2009 09:22 #23

chrialex

A well articulated argument, regardless of the view, will always win over crazy ranting and raving. Oh, and if you started monitoring a computer used for legal research, it would only be a matter of time before a ton of legal problems showed up. Because of the whole attorney-client privilege right.

Do what you can while its still questionably Legal, before it becomes UNQuestionably ILLegal.
chrialex

7.1.2010 10:02 #24

IguanaC64

Quote:if someone broke into your house because you didnt lock the doors or had weak security, it is your fault as much as theirs because it wouldnt of happened if you had locked up your houseThat would be an interesting legal defense.

"Well, your honor. Since they didn't have a steel framed and reinforced door, I was able to kick it open to rob the place and rape the daughter. This would indicate that it is, in fact, THEIR fault since they didn't adequately protect their property and I should be found innocent. Thank you, your honor!"

This is the type of rationalization that criminals use when they steal/assault/rape. The victim didn't do enough to stop them so they deserve it.

7.1.2010 14:01 #25

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