George Ou reports that Dateline NBC investigative "journalist" Michelle Madigan was run out on a rail when she tried to infiltrate DEFCON in Las Vegas, the convention for hackers and security specialists, hoping to catch someone admitting to a crime. This is the same group of people who play "spot the spook" at their yearly conventions, so Michelle never had a chance. This all came after DEFCON organizers gave her four chances to register as press. Instead, Madigan made reference to how "people in Kansas" would be interested in what the hackers were up to (Kansas being the reference to the fly-over area between LA and NY) and then made a trip to the restroom to get her pinhole camera running.
Without a doubt, the best part was the reaction, an improptu media gaggle surrounding Madigan as she bolted from the conference, sticking cameras in her face and shouting questions that didn't receive answers. Video can be found here.
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Truly classic. I'll be
August 6, 2007 - 22:06 ET by bobthemanTruly classic. I'll be curious to see how Dateline edits the story.
You can bet there will
August 7, 2007 - 02:45 ET by sarcasmoYou can bet there will either be no-story or huge media-bias and hate directed at the "hackers." People who are interested in security these days are automatically assumed to be interested only for "bad" reasons unless they're government employees (which, ironically, makes 'em way more likely to behave badly).
I'm interested in whether a 12 or 13 year old girl can open a Medeco "secure" lock this easily, and that curiousity does not make me a crook. Those of us who are interested in how locks work aren't automatically dishonest, we're just curious. Treating us like "criminals" gives us good reason to disrespect both the news media and the government, especially when the corporation with insecure products -- as usual -- lies.
Notice how Medeco is denying the lockpickers' story. God, do I ever wish I could get them to put good money on this, because believe me, if Defcon's lockpickers say they can pick a Medeco lock, they CAN BUMP/PICK A MEDECO LOCK, and the Medeco corporation needs to deal with it and fix the problem.
Also, notice how the allegedly "juvenile" and "irresponsible" hacker-lockpicker community -- despite Medeco's blatant and brazen lies -- asked that their Medeco vulnerability discovery's specifics NOT be spread to the world by the media. Would that our political "leaders" displayed similar morality & responsibility, eh?
JMR
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Medeco locks
August 7, 2007 - 07:45 ET by dmntd1About that medeco lock....
I'm very familiar with them. That girl didn't bump a properly configured medeco lock. The 'slight pressure' she put on the key before hitting it with the hammer would have put that cylinder into a bind, that, even if the pins had all formed the shear line, the sidebar would have still been locked into place in the cylinder.
I could practically give a lecture on Medeco, and unless I saw her do that, and had the ability to tear down that cylinder myself, I doubt that I would believe it was possible (that's my bias). Briefly... the sidebar that is the second of the 'bi-axial' security of a regular (not M3) medeco lock is springloaded with springs under so much tension that the company I used to work for had to replace them so older people could operate the door. If/when medeco announced problems with them, THEN I'd believe it. In the meantime, there are better locks out there anyway. Easier to use, break less often, less susceptible to dirt/dust/grime/pocket lint.
I really think that questioning others' masculinity is a game probably better left to people who haven't had more cock in and out of them than a Tyson Chicken regional distribution center. AceOfSpades 06162007
An ideal test would be
August 7, 2007 - 08:04 ET by sarcasmoAn ideal test would be within the door, where she had no access to the backside of the lock, but this demo worries me because so many high level businesses trust Medeco locks. I'm also unsure they'd want to show us a "good" video if they're right, since if they're right it's a rather severe vulnerability and despite the news media's palpable bias, these people aren't criminals.
JMR
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true
August 7, 2007 - 08:26 ET by dmntd1But I'd be willing to bet that this is just another staged stunt to undermine security. While away from the computer, it also popped into my head that they said this:
This is utter and complete nonsense. Both sides of any deadbolt work completely independently of each other. If you can do it with a thumbturn (flip switch?) you can with a double cylinder deadbolt. The only contact one has with the other is with the actual bolt mechanism inside the door, and there's just a small piece of metal that runs from the cylinder to the bolt.
They also don't mention the inavailability of the key blank that would be required to make the bump key. This is an integral part of the security...the inability to get a key that will physically go into the lock!
Medeco is right to downplay this, as I believe it's more of a assassination plot against Medeco.
I really think that questioning others' masculinity is a game probably better left to people who haven't had more cock in and out of them than a Tyson Chicken regional distribution center. AceOfSpades 06162007
If it's just a matter of
August 7, 2007 - 08:35 ET by sarcasmoIf it's just a matter of getting a blank, I disagree. Medeco keys can't be that hard to obtain for a mold if I carry around 2 all the time, and I do. I'm also, without looking, unable to say whether differences in 2-sides vs 1-side would really matter because that might depend on which Medeco design, and they sometimes change designs without telling anyone.
Why I'm so dubious of Medeco's claims is that I've witnessed some pretty amazing things hanging around with these people. 2 Julys ago at HOPE, a bunch of them were taking turns attacking a Medeco brand lock, IIRC. They failed that time on that particular lock, but I've rarely witnessed such persistence...And theirs was mounted in a piece of plywood.
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.
I cant tell you
August 7, 2007 - 08:17 ET by Rosjust how happy I am that Kansas is considered "fly over" and not "drive through".
If they drove I might have to actually interact with one.
<3 Kansas
For me New York and LA are
August 7, 2007 - 10:42 ET by TruthMongerFor me New York and LA are "flyover country" I'm happy to say...
Just a bunch of hedonist liberal yokels - and way too much inbreeding...
A better cover story
August 6, 2007 - 22:49 ET by nkviking75Perhaps she should have pretended to be a 14 year old girl. Dateline's most successful undercover operations involve adult women posing as 14 year old girls.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
I think these idiots can never understand why they can't ...
August 6, 2007 - 23:11 ET by acaiguanaI think these idiots can never understand why they can't imitate a real person from Kansas.
"Madigan made reference to how "people in Kansas" would be interested in what the hackers were up to (Kansas being the reference to the fly-over area between LA and NY)..."
No, Madigan, it goes like this.
"I'm interested in what hackers are up to..."
You see, we don't do this junk.
And only would an elitist, arrogant, angry, ill-informed, non-technical, non-system programmer with an absolute blank eyeball stare (windows to the soul) come up with such an idiotic 'baseline' of Kanses to try to defray the rather (ahem) intelligent people who go to this convention.
Actually, some of the best hackers are from Kansas.
You can lead a Mule (MSM) to the water...
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
Should start a trend, report on the reporter, turn around on MSM
August 6, 2007 - 23:25 ET by CTEven though this was spontaneous and crudely done I see the potential for fair play turn around here. Maybe there are a lot of other opportunities in this brave new You Tube world to report on the reporter.
You got it right
August 7, 2007 - 17:17 ET by Mithridate OmbudI was hoping someone would mention this. This is a good opportunity for the masses to rise up and see how they like it. Having swarms of bloggers turning the cameras and the focus on those who do this to others is a great way to "share the experience" with the jackals.
hmmmmm
August 7, 2007 - 02:11 ET by GatorgradI think the New Republic should send Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp to cover DEFCON. After all, they have a history of "journalists" that cover hackers conventions.
"To catch a distorting reporter"
August 7, 2007 - 06:28 ET by sarcasmoPlease, everyone, go look at this hilarious video and read the story. :) It's important to keep in mind the fact that these "evil" hackers were actually also trying to protect Feds in this incident, despite various abuses by various other Feds in the past. In past years, they've played "spot the Fed" in a very innocent but funny way, where at the end the winner gets an "I spotted the Fed" t-shirt and the Fed goes up on stage, is cheered, and gets an "I'm the Fed" t-shirt.
One would think, with their relatively-exclusive sex-predator franchise, Dateline would be able to ask someone halfway-clueful, like "Del" from Perverted Justice, about the reality of hackers and crime on the internet. Instead, they made typical media fools of themselves. In general, the people attending conferences like Defcon ARE NOT criminals, and because of how smart many of 'em are, that's a very good thing. This may be the best reporter-smackdown any group of hackers has ever done, and that's saying something.
JMR
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This link has a
August 7, 2007 - 07:00 ET by sarcasmoThis link has a slightly-updated version of the story (Dateline NBC had "no comment on newsgathering"). I'm glad the good guy's spin on this incident, for once, is out before the media's, as that makes it increasingly likely that Dateline will just shut up about hackers.
And I'm still amused at this vs this. Please, Medeco, put down enough money to get me there, keep me fed & sheltered for the weekend (& taken to the Penn & Teller show at no cost to me) and I'll meet you in Vegas if you're willing to bet on your own BS. These guys "0wn" your overpriced locks, it's time to quit lying about it and hire one of 'em for a lot of your loot, and maybe fire a useless Medeco Locks executive or 2 so you can afford it.
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.