The first fallout from Cybergate

The first fallout from Cybergate
Mark Rasch, 2004-02-09

Did Republican staffers commit a crime by clicking on the "My Network Places" icon to access Democratic memos?

The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-10
Roger (1 replies)

Mark, it really seems to me to be a lot simpler than you're making out. The question is whether or not someone is "authorized". This key phrase is usually pretty poorly defined in law, but generally includes something along the lines of "reasonably should be aware ... not authorised". This is why ad...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-11
Anonymous (2 replies)

200+ years and still going...
That says more for our form of politics then those of Old Europe (including the French).

Yes, I am an American.

P.S. A criminal is a criminal; US Politics aside, these guys exceeded their authorized access to a US government computer. They are no more then cri...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-11
Anonymous

I would just like people to realize that not all Amercians graduated from highschool without learing the origin of thier country. The United States has existed over 200 years, but how does that compare to the goverment it was based on? The Magna Carta was established well before the Constitution a...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-17
Anonymous

"A criminal is a criminal; US Politics aside, these guys exceeded their authorized access to a US government computer. They are no more then criminals, ignorant ones at that!"

It is an accepted fact that the files were accessed WITHOUT having to supply any type of password. That being true, it m...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-10
Anonymous

There probably isn?t an network administrator alive that hasn?t warned people about putting their data on an unprotected share, and then had them claim they ?didn?t know it wasn?t safe? when it was read, deleted, or changed by someone else.

The Dems were dumb to put unprotected documents on the s...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-10
Elc0chin0 (1 replies)

Intent? How subjective?

Personally, I'd like to see the Repugnanticans defend this case using their defense and win.

Then I'd like to see John Ashcroft go after "hackers" who can then use the same defense as their Repugnantican brothern.

It's security as deemed suited as long it doesn't pe...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-11
The Sureal EXperience

I take notice of certain things you said,

to positions that conservative Republicans had deliberately left vacant for years of Democratic administrations.

Untrue if you the senate Judicairy commitee vacancy list located at Congressal Libray The vacancies were left by ougiong nominees and wer...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-11
Kevin

Criminal? That's about as ridiculous as the statement in the article that they 'Broke in' to a database to retrieve the memos. Nonsense.

This is analogous to the Dem. staffers moving out of an office and turning over the office and its contents to the Rep. staffers. However, they continue to...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-11
Anonymous

If this was the other way around the media would be making a big stink on how the Republicans were trying to illegally stop the Judicial Appointment process. Have you read the memo's? They discuss hinting about classified information (not giving it out but hinting which is/should still be illegal)...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-12
Harlot

Only two comment posters replied to the actual problem with this article. It is not the fact that Republicans surfed an open network to find Democrats "secret" memos, is the treasonous and vile behaviour of our politicians that needs to be addressed. Screw the charges for the leak, I want those wh...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-12
Bob

What I want to know is where the sanity is in the government. Come on people, any person who has any knowledge about computers can tell you that if you publish something to a public share then it is not a crime to find it or read it.

What really irks me is that this IS the government. Shouldn't ...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-12
El C0chin0 <mr.nasty@ix.netcom.com> (1 replies)

I realize in this election year that a certain party should be defensive considering the schemes and cavorting of the current administration. If this was some teenager who happened upon the senate server and found these documents that would indeed be another issue. Unless of course if the teen was...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-19
Anonymous

Please take your ignorant partisan screed elsewhere. This isn't a political forum. We are speaking on matters of security practices and apparently some government staffers are horrifically ignorant of the very essentials of keeping documents secure. That is the issue here....

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-13
Chris Anonymous

This 10 and 22 game is becoming interesting when computers are involved. But, I am not happy that somebody's neck was taken!
What are the Demo and Rep staffers upto, didn't they pass thro Universities? You six graders know the common rule of hardening their systems or is the fat pay making them laz...

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Not the first Cybergate in the USA 2004-02-13
J.D. Abolins

Reading the Cybergate item brought back memories of an incident in New Jersey back in the late 1980s. See the second news item at

My recollections...
In the NJ State Legislature, a Republican staffer accessed the supposedly separate file area used by the Democrats and got access to various doc...

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The first fallout from Cybergate 2004-02-13
Anonymous

If a Senate staffer had inadvertently placed printouts of those same documents on a table in a common room, what then? Ethically, no one would take or read the documents. However if someone did take and read the documents, what would come of it? Not much.

I feel if someone places confidential doc...

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Illegal Access vs. Pubic Disclosure 2004-02-13
Anonymous (1 replies)

I'm a bit confused by this article. I've followed this pretty closely in the media, and the individual who allegedly accessed the files was dismissed. If warranted, he will (and should) face charges, but unless there is evidence that somebody directed him to do it, it will (and should) end there. I ...

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Illegal Access vs. Pubic Disclosure 2004-02-17
Elc0chin0

I don't think anyone is pointing the finger at the perpetrator. We?re just trying to justify the merits of the act itself. Weather the individual steps forward and admits guilt is one thing weather he was encouraged is yet another. Again if there is no documentation or paper trail then the perpet...

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