CHP: Angelides campaign didn't illegally hack Schwarzenegger site

[Newsjock]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16610870.htm

SACRAMENTO - After a nearly five-month investigation, investigators with the California Highway Patrol have determined that aides to Democrat Phil Angelides broke no laws when they downloaded audio files containing the private musings of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on race and other subjects.

In a 38-page report, the CHP ``recommends that no charges be filed in this case'' and advises the Schwarzenegger administration tighten up the ``overall security of their computer network.''

... The release of a taped conversation between Schwarzenegger and his senior staffers created a brief furor in an otherwise ho-hum election season when the Los Angeles Times first reported it Sept. 8. The candid chat captured an unguarded Schwarzenegger speculating about the ``hot'' temperament of Latinas and referring to Assembly Republicans as a ``wild bunch.''

The Angelides campaign later acknowledged that its staffers had obtained the audio file, contained on a Web site of the governor's speeches, by backward browsing. Essentially, aides opened the Web address, or URL, from one of Schwarzenegger's public speeches and clipped a few characters from the end of the address. That yielded a directory of audio recordings.

[northofdenali]

1. and a Kennedy is married to this thug.

Californians should have known better. He's a bigot and an abuser. A less likely governor of California? Maybe George W.

[SayWhatYo]

2. Why CHP?

Did they take the information super highway thing a bit too literally?

*I've often times "stumbled" across database backups, source code and other such fun things by doing what they did(or similar, following errors) It's real funny some dolt has his code in files that are not rendered when called directly(like how php users often times use .inc and take no measures to secure them... like moving them out of public accessible directories, or simply not allowing access) Anyways, does this mean that I would have been within legal right to view source code and download the database backups?

[LiberalFighter]

3. I do that all the time -- especially when a system admin screws up

in the linking. Then I have to figure out what the link should had been.

I done the same thing with state data that was not available thru their website just because they updated the material. They still left it at the same location.

[Garbo 2004]

5. Years ago the CA State Police merged with the CHP.

The state police provided security for state facilities like state office buildings and the State Capitol. Now it's the CHP.

[LeftyMom]

7. They're the state police here, so it's thier jurisdiction to protect the gov.

I have no idea why they took so long to figure this out, but California is hardly alone in government moving at a glacial pace.

[SayWhatYo]

8. Ahhh... I see... Although, I'm not sure about their decision.

I never knew that was the case with CHP. Thanks folks...

Although, I'm still not too sure if I agree with their findings... Politics aside, it's very common resources to be insecure by oversight or pure incompetence. Does that mean that if it's not locked down then it's free for taking? Say if the DU database somehow became publicly available(although I doubt the admins here are stupid enough to allow that to happen... but shit does happen sometimes) Does that mean that one could legally download it?

[LeftyMom]

9. yes, because the public is already invited to the site for information

It's a bit like this: I'm selling my house and I have one of those boxes of flyers out front to tell potential buyers what a great place it is, all the stuff I've upgraded, with pictures of the spiffy new kitchen, etc. Under the flyers is a folded up copy of the home inspection I bought saying that the plumbing is a nightmare, the electrical is nowhere near code, the wood floors are sloping and there's evidence of termite infestation.

I didn't intend for you to pull all the flyers out and grab that home inspection report off the bottom, but if it's mixed in with the public information and accessible it's hardly a surprise or a crime if you do.

[rocktivity]

4. I wouldn't be surprised if the Arnie camp set the whole thing up

just so they could blame Angelides. Oh, he didn't do it? Never mind--besides, I'm in office now.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Garbo 2004]

6. Naw, I figure it's genuine incompetence. Arnie tried to capitalize on it when the tape

came out.