Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas
Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus 2004-11-24

The author of the popular freeware hacking tool Nmap warned users this week that FBI agents are increasingly seeking access to information from the server logs of his download site, insecure.org.

Colapse all | Post comment

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-25
Anonymous (1 replies)

First off whoever wrote this article needs to get their facts straight. Nmap is not a "hacking tool" its a tool that scans for open ports. Secondly, anyone who just freely forks over logs without a proper supoena is a disgrace to everything the internet community should stand fo, so I applaud Fyodor...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-08
Doc Agnostic

Are you serious? Kevin Poulsen get the beenfit of any doubt as to how he phrases comments on hackers. Aside from semantics, let's get real. Hacker tools have legitimate uses, but it doesn't invalidate their uses as hacker tools. I have hacked (auditted) internal networks using NMAP....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-27
Siddhartha Jain (2 replies)

Does the FBI realise that the tool can be downloaded off a dozen mirrors around the world? Or that the hacker might've used an open proxy?

This just shows how clueless the FBI is about investigating computer crimes....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-06
Anonymous

ppl make mistakes, so do hackers, what if mr l33t scriptkid actually downloaded the tool with his own ip? (eg not using a proxy or any other spoofing technique?)

Ravo_5002...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-08
Roger

Or it shows that you didn't read the whole article bfore accusing them of cluelessness. Fyodor explained what he believes to be the reason, and it's actually reasonably smart. Further, it indicates (contrary to the implication of your post) that they are investigating a specific crime, rather than j...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-27
Anonymous

This article at first upset me. Then after thinking about it for a little while, I tried to imagine an analogous scenario where I might actually side with the fbi. I came up with this - if, say, a hundred people buy a set of steak knives from a particular cutlery store, and of those hundred, one p...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-27
Anonymous (1 replies)

what about the distros that come with nmap? ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-01
Anonymous

Given that most all linux distros have Nmap, I'm sure 99% of the nmap downloads for hacking purposes are for installing on windoze, in a remote location....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-28
Kei

I dont see why he should be in trouble. He makes a disclaimer. It's like any tool "Then End User is RESPONCABLE" Just becuase he made one thats free and ungodly powerful is no reason to get all butthurt by it. ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-29
Anonymous

Should we all start downloading nmap from as many IPs as possible? (Don't think his ISP will mind to terribly much...)...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-29
Anonymous (1 replies)

Easy problem to fix. Don't maintain any logs....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Don't maintain logs 2004-12-02
Anonymous

This is actually a common practice in libraries. Most library automated systems don't maintain any historical record of what books were checked out. This is precisely to frustrate subpoenas of such information, librarians as a group being very keen on first amendment (or equivalent) rights and the...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-29
Anonymous (2 replies)

I assume in this case, the FBI is tracing all the steps an attacker might have taken and the nmap download is just another way to track the attacker but I'm curious, what kind of legal implications could port scanning a network have assuming no other hostile acts were commited?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-03
Anonymous

You have to authorization to scan a network, otherwise, it is illegal. Most security consultants would suggest that unauthorized scans are a prelude to an attack of some order of magnitude. ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-08
Doc Agnostic

Administrative subpoenas require very little "showing" on the part of investigators. The ones referenced in this article require some relevance to an investigation. The information obtained can be used to leverage other information up to a pattern supporting a wire tap or probable cause for a search...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-30
Larry Pingree

I think it is essential that any honest information security person assist the government whenever it is legally obtained and sanctioned. I also agree that it is a good idea to ensure the government is following the letter of the law and respecting a person's privacy. I don't think anyone wants and ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-11-30
sp43t4r (1 replies)

How about we flood the net with Mirrors to NMAP's latest version. With more sites and more access, Fyodor would no longer be a primary target and this might thwart the FBI.

Who's to say that this isn't the case.

If I was a hacker, I'd have my tools already organzied sitting on some share of s...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-03
Anonymous

You might also have all your tools on a bootable CD so there are fewer ties to you and your victim....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Reactions are interesting 2004-12-01
Lou (1 replies)

I find the reactions to this situation most striking. The supeona's were:

"In every case the request has been narrowly crafted, usually directed at finding out who visited the site in a very short window of time, such as a five minute period. "They have not made any broad requests like, 'Give me...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Tools don't hack computers.... 2004-12-06
Anonymous Cracker (from Florida)

People do......

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-01
Legal Side (1 replies)

First off, downloading a tool from a site is not illegal. Second, scanning networks under current law is not a crime. Lastly, law enforcement goes fishing to obtain clues in many different fashions, as a security professional and former cop, I understand what they were looking for but do not under...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-03
Anonymous

Check your local state laws; in PA scanning IS illegal....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-01
e_D (1 replies)

Man, how happy can someone be that linux comes with everything on a default install? Don't have to worry on this one. >:)...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-03
Anonymous

Most of you seem to be missing the point - the FBI is attempting to investigate /specific incidences/ of probable crime. You downloading NMAP or settting up a mirror isn't going to accomplish anything beyond wasting your bandwidth.

Second, why would you want to impair the ability of law enforcem...

[ more ] [ reply ]

what catches my eye 2004-12-03
oo7@efnet

although this is just an assumption, it sheds some light on the tactics big brother may use. Here is a quote from the article:

Fyodor theorizes the FBI is investigating cases in which an intruder downloaded Nmap directly onto a compromised machine. "They assume that she might have obtained that ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-03
Voltron Killed a Young Boy who Chewed on Him

yeah.. I didn't even think of that.. lol. v3 is packed with a bunch of Linux distros..

Further evidence that nmap is not a hacking tool....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-06
faze

welcome to the bush dictatorship. enjoy your stay and dont question any authority. blindly conform or be thrown in jail for terrorism.

::shrug:: all we can do is hope that he follows the presidential tradition and doesnt run for a third term... and hope he doesnt screw us too hard in the ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

I'm not defending the FBI but please, be fair. 2004-12-06
Anonymous

OK, guys, I know most of you don't like the FBI but they are just trying to do their job. Even worse the article exagirates the info a lot (in general I like Kevin's articles though). The first part of the article shouts how bad it is and then the second part says "less than half-a-dozen" - are you ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-06
Anonymous

Not all dists comes with nmap ;) basic debian doesnt for one. It might be on one of those extra cd's but do people even use that 7-8 cd set ? ;)

Another thing in Denmark nmap is actually banned I think, because some kid did it way back and his lawyers knew squat so they managed to press for a ban a...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-06
LilBambi

I applaud Fyodor for being up front with the concern over the subpoenas since they reflect a change from the past for his insecure.org site, and for his looking at both sides of this issue very carefully to make sure that the FBI was doing things in the right way.

The nmap "TOOL" is a wonderful a...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Hacking tool reportedly draws FBI subpoenas 2004-12-06
Anonymous

Unless the Bureau uses some new loophole from the Patriot Act, they are only allowed access to logs pertinent to a specific time period. That is, the time in which the alleged offensed occured. Its actually up to a Federal Judge to determine how much info can be collected as part of the subpoena. ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

FBI - poorly paid - you get what you pay for 2004-12-07
Me

FBI agents are poorly paid...there are only a few technically savvy agents on the computer crime squad, who are mainly there because they have the "cop complex". They like carrying a badge and gun...They like the notoriaty of being an "FBI Agent"...

Anyway, my point is that chasing Nmap probes i...

[ more ] [ reply ]