Russian cyber-crooks

[Gary Stoneburner <gary.stoneburner@nist.gov>]

re:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12984-2003May19_2.html

"Two and a half years ago, his former boss Vasiliy Gorshkov and
co-worker Alexey Ivanov were arrested for hacking and extorting a string
of American businesses."

"Hacking is illegal in Russia, just as it is in the United States;
enforcement is where the countries differ. Here, it's sometimes more akin
to a getting a parking ticket than a serious felony -- something that on
paper is wrong but not morally reprehensible. Local investigations also
are hampered because authorities cite other, higher priorities. 
That means many hackers are able to operate in what are essentially safe
havens. In an interconnected world like the Internet, a few safe havens
are all that is needed to wreak havoc on every country. "

"In this former military manufacturing town, Gorshkov and Ivanov
have become folk heroes of sorts. More than a few people are rallying
behind them, saying what they did was, if not perfectly legal, at least
in a gray area. What's illegal in the United States is just considered
aggressive marketing by more than a few people here."

" ... Some of the hackers said they were more careful to route their
hacks through computers in other countries so as to disguise their
whereabouts.  But in many respects, the nature and extent of the
Expert Group's hacking hasn't changed much."

I wonder, how would you feel being the subject of "aggressive
marketing"?

Cheers,
Gary

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* Opinions expressed are not intended to reflect an official position
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* Gary Stoneburner
* Computer Security Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology
* 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-8930         
* Phone: 301-975-5394, FAX: 301-948-0279, Email: Stoneburner@nist.gov
* http://csrc.nist.gov/staff/stoneburner/gshome.html
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