AVSIM hacker found

[noddy]

<TABLE class=storycontent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Flight site hacker 'identified'



</TD></TR><TR><TD class=storybody><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45774000/jpg/_45774457_avsim_logo.jpg Avsim is one of the largest sites serving the flight sim community


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF -->The publisher of a flight simulator site targeted by a hacker in May says it has presented a file of evidence to UK police identifying the perpetrator. Avsim said it had "incontrovertible evidence" about the hacker's identity.
The attack wiped data held on two servers and "effectively destroyed" the site, which is still being rebuilt.
The US firm said it expected the criminal complaint, filed with London police, to lead to the alleged hacker spending "time behind bars".
<!-- E SF -->"We will not name any names, but have incontrovertible evidence of the individual that performed the hack," said Tom Allensworth, the publisher and CEO of Avsim.
"We have protected the forensic evidence and provided that evidence to the London police. We are committed to bringing justice to bear on this case."
Mr Allensworth told BBC News that the evidence was submitted on Monday to the Southwark division of the Metropolitan Police, which was "acting on behalf of another constabulary".
'Next level'
The US site, launched in 1996, covers all aspects of flight simulation, although its main focus is on Microsoft's Flight Simulator.
In addition it hosts a forum and allows enthusiasts to download extra content for flight simulations, such as new landscapes.
The firm claims it is the most-visited flight simulation site on the internet.
"Its contribution has been immeasurable," said Derek Davis, editor of PC Pilot magazine, following the attack.
The firm said it had spent $50,000 (£30,000) to bring Avsim back online since the 12 May attack, including $25,000 from users.
It said it had filed the criminal complaint after giving the alleged hacker "two opportunities to settle" the case.
"The individual did not avail himself of the opportunity - in fact, he has ignored our proffers," Mr Allensworth said in the statement.
"We are now doing as we promised this person we would do: ratcheting this up to the next, criminal, level."
"We fully expect that the criminal complaint...will result in the perpetrator spending some time behind bars - under UK law."
The firm said it was seeking prosecution under laws that "deal with unauthorised use of a computer, unauthorised and criminal theft of data, and numerous other violations of other computer and online laws".
The Metropolitan Police could not confirm whether it had received the complaint.

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[stiz]

my verdict if it does go to court ... slap on the wrists, a fine ... then some comunity service :kilroy:

[TARPSBird]

Give him a fair trial... then hang him. :mad:

[Snuffy]

Fair trial ... my back side ... he didn't give Avsim the advantage of fair warning ...

Rope, Tree, Hacker! Some assembly required.

[Tim-HH]

There is even a little article about that on the BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8244028.stm) homepage.

Greetings
Tim

[Bone]

Hopefully, he'll really get the shaft once he's Rocko's cellmate.

[jmig]

Fair trial ... my back side ... he didn't give Avsim the advantage of fair warning ...

Rope, Tree, Hacker! Some assembly required.

Tell us how you really feel, Snuffy :)

[Lionheart]

This little grim dude has really hurt the world sim community. I hope justice is served properly and well balanced. Tons of damage has been done, alot of it irreversable.

Bill

[kjb]

A significant monetary award might convince him it wasn't a good idea. Then neuter him.

[txnetcop]

Cut off his hands first-apply no first aid and then hang him!

[brad kaste]

Give him a fair trial... then hang him. :mad:
Let's make it nautical hanging. String him up from one of the HMS Victory's yard arms,.....and let the buzzards feast.......

[Ickie]

Here is what will happen, he will be on probation and given a tech job in a security firm, and he learns how not to get caught. This story will be updated.

[stansdds]

Here is what will happen, he will be on probation and given a tech job in a security firm, and he learns how not to get caught. This story will be updated.
Most likely outcome. Personally, I'd like to see him hung up by the short-n-curlies, then take a knife with a rough blade and... What? Why is everyone looking at me like that? Like you weren't thinking the same thing?:violent:

[Chuck_Jodry-VJPL]

I personally hope he is convicted and ordered to pay restitution or has assets confiscated and sold off to pay for his actions , not so much to defray the expense Avsim incurred but to give pause to other miscreants who consider a similar sort of criminal act .<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Sim site hacking is becoming a hobby for some and to date i haven’t seen any other outfit go after the culprits in court , it’s good to see Tom went through the steps necessary to begin the process and i wish him well and hope that the case is used as an example and sets a juridical precedent.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
C. Jodry Managing Editor , Avsim<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>

[Chacha]

Here is what will happen, he will be on probation and given a tech job in a security firm, and he learns how not to get caught. This story will be updated.

I heard the same story, where they were hired to do "special projects"..... and .... you know the rest of the story....

I think "Mastermind" is the title of that TV show.... Oh yes, i watch that once in a while....:icon_lol:

[gigabyte]

Rope, Tree, Hacker! Some assembly required.

Now I know there are plenty of folks out there that will gladly help with the "assembly", and please put my name high on the list...

[Ickie]

I have a script running on this server and 5+ times a day someone tries to hack SOH, I send emails to the company who owns the IP and send them my log, and only a few have responded to my emails and they are from Northern Europe.
Here is the most resent attempt:
Time: Tue Sep 8 19:15:06 2009 -0400
IP: 66.207.162.222 (US/United States/route-probes.cologuys.com)
Hits: 11
Blocked: Temporary Block

Sample of block hits:
Sep 8 19:13:48 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=263 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33436 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:13:53 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=263 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33436 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:13:57 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=9 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33435 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:13:57 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=2 ID=264 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33436 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:14:02 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=9 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33435 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:14:02 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=2 ID=264 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33436 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:14:07 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=2 ID=10 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33435 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:14:12 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=2 ID=10 PROTO=UDP SPT=18904 DPT=33435 LEN=12 Sep 8 19:14:53 ron kernel: Firewall: *UDP_IN Blocked* IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=00:15:60:5f:03:e3:00:1e:49:d9:f3:44:08:00 SRC=66.207.162.222 DST=72.233.XX.XX LEN=32 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00

[Tom Clayton]

Fair trial ... my back side ... he didn't give Avsim the advantage of fair warning ...

Rope, Tree, Hacker! Some assembly required.
I've got hanging in mind, but not with rope!


A significant monetary award might convince him it wasn't a good idea. Then neuter him.
You're getting warmer! My idea is to use a magnifying glass to find the family rhinestones, then wrap piano wire around them, and the other end around the rafters!

[Cazzie]

Throw him in a cell with right-wing hoodlum extremists (you do have some in the UK, n'est pas?). Fellow's got to be prime geek, so let nature work it out! :icon_lol:

Caz

[MCDesigns]

Cut off his hands first-apply no first aid and then hang him!

I'm down with that!!

[cheezyflier]

i doubt he will get any job offers from this. it's not like he did anything groundbreaking or unusual. it was just heartless is all.
i also doubt he'll do any jail time.
that said, i just want to say two more things:

1) how many simmers prayed this guy would get caught? 'nuff said :engel016:

2) congratulations avsim, with all my heart i hope justice is done.

[tigisfat]

Throw him in a cell with right-wing hoodlum extremists .....


It's not often you hear "right wing" and "hoodlum" in the same sentence.

:icon_lol:

[tigisfat]

I have a script running on this server and 5+ times a day someone tries to hack SOH, I send emails to the company who owns the IP and send them my log, and only a few have responded to my emails and they are from Northern Europe.

I must say, this is the longest stretch in a while that we've seen SO stay up and running with no successful attacks or failures. You're doing something right, and I'm glad.

[Good_2_Be]

Rope, Tree, Hacker! Some assembly required.[/QUOTE]


How about Rope, Grand Canyon Sky Walk, Hacker.....Just to give him the sensation of flying........Briefly

[Prowler1111]

Burn the MFer....

[Good_2_Be]

Thank you Ickie for keeping the beasties away from the door :applause:

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Good one Caz! I agree!

-Ed-

[smoores]

a picture of the person and a list of church steeples near the courthouse always comes in handy

[hey_moe]

What they should do is find out how much it cost Avsim to repair and replace the damage dollar wise. Times that figure by 100. That should be his jail time. Also pay back all the damages he caused. Part two of this....let him serve time in a third world jail and put him in the same cell with Bubba.....I bet ya next time he might think twice about the hacking.

[Cazzie]

It's not often you hear "right wing" and "hoodlum" in the same sentence.

:icon_lol:

Better than saying Aryan Nation. :icon_lol:

Caz

[b24_witchcraft]

Congrats Avsim - may justice prevail! Hope the parties involved have to pay up for the costs of their vandalism also!

[Prowler1111]

...burn the MFer..part deux.....

[Odie]

Ickie, thanks for keeping the barbarians outside the wall !

[Quicksand]

Cheers to Avsim for going after this pond scum. Unless the authorities finally start punishing some of these hackers more severely, the cycle of hacking will continue. If he's convicted, he should lose all of his personal property to repay damages to the site, and he should do some hard time with Bubba...

[Railrunner130]

I'm glad Tom has taken measures to go after this individual. I don't get why he gave the guy two opportunities to fess up.

[tigisfat]

I'm glad Tom has taken measures to go after this individual. I don't get why he gave the guy two opportunities to fess up.


Because it's more gentlemanly, and you get a bigger 'win'. It's like saying 'I have your life in my hands right now, and this could all be much simpler for you' before they force you to pull the trigger. It's much more satisfying, too.

:applause:

[Matt Wynn]

forget that it's gonna get messy, give me the Black and Decker drill, drill his knee-caps and elbows, break the wrists, fingers, arms, legs maybe also use a hack saw cut a vital part off, incinerate it so no medical expert can re-connect the plumbing, then sit him in front of a fire (duct taped to a large immovable chair) pass me the PE4, a couple large gas canisters and a det-cord... well you get the idea, i'll sit back at 3/4 mile, if explosion don't finish him I will using 'trusty'

just my idea anyways.... *whistles casually as if I said nothing*

[wombat666]

"The Metropolitan Police could not confirm whether it had received the complaint".
Perhaps we should await the full story before celebrating too much.
:173go1:

[Ferry_vO]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I sense a bit of anger in some of your responses..

Anyway it will probably be some 15-year old kiddy who thinks hacking is cool, and will probably get away with a fine and maybe a few hours of community service.
I'd say let him pay back the damage even if that means he can't even buy a loaf of bread the next twenty years without someone checking if he really needs to spend money on it, and no internet access until all is paid back!

[Meshman]

Anyway it will probably be some 15-year old kiddy who thinks hacking is cool, ...

Only Avsim has the details, the rest is speculation. Which I'll vaguely speculate on...

I don't feel it was a 15 year old kiddy, but someone who had been given access to the system. That access allowed them to harvest email data, which then turned into a bunch of people getting unsolicted emails at addresses that weren't always the primary email addy for the recipient. The spammer posted on the Avsim forums that he wasn't some "two-bit spammer" and that he had garnered the data from "other sources", not by harvesting the Avsim data. Shortly thereafter his tenure with Avsim ended and the hack occurred.

Avsim says they tried to settle, but were ignored. Who I suspect did the hack has posted about being away from home for an extended period of time, which would coincide with any attempt by Avsim to contact him. The potential hacker also makes software that is used by the online community and the tube flyers. What better method to go about gaining data for spamming purposes than to have a bunch of people download and install some software that is given full access rights to the internet for the purposes of reporting their flying activities. And all the while it's sitting there reading email addys.


Ah, I love a good conspiracy theory in the morning! :wavey:

[srgalahad]

I'm astounded! Such low-tech suggestions from a group of people that use higher technology to discuss an internet-based crime...:kilroy:

There's something delicious about "Let the punishment fit the crime" that should be considered -

let's think more along the lines of said individual being placed in a chair without a seat, two small electrodes connected to a vital and pain-sensitive part of the anatomy and connected to a computer displaying a 'hit-counter' enabled on the AvSim site, forced to watch a display showing the site visits. As the counter passes each 10,000 hits a signal is sent enabling a small but significant current though the electrodes... after a time changing to once every 1000 hits, then every 100, then moving back to every 10,000 but at a higher setting and so on...

oh.. and a webcam trained on the face of the felon could increase the pleasure...:icon_lol:
I know I'd be visiting the AvSim forums more often...

[Matt Wynn]

I know I'd be visiting the AvSim forums more often...
you and me both, thats a great idea, forget him being able to predict it put the electrodes 'zapping' on randonmly generated numbers keep him in suspense for the next shock, then again the felon may enjoy electrodes attached to his 'plums' :icon_lol: ay i suggest a nice high tech way.... get hold of a really large microvave

[cheezyflier]

man, i hope i never tick you guys off!!!! :icon_lol:

[Bone]

I'm astounded! Such low-tech suggestions from a group of people that use higher technology to discuss an internet-based crime...:kilroy:

There's something delicious about "Let the punishment fit the crime" that should be considered -

let's think more along the lines of said individual being placed in a chair without a seat, two small electrodes connected to a vital and pain-sensitive part of the anatomy and connected to a computer displaying a 'hit-counter' enabled on the AvSim site, forced to watch a display showing the site visits. As the counter passes each 10,000 hits a signal is sent enabling a small but significant current though the electrodes... after a time changing to once every 1000 hits, then every 100, then moving back to every 10,000 but at a higher setting and so on...

oh.. and a webcam trained on the face of the felon could increase the pleasure...:icon_lol:
I know I'd be visiting the AvSim forums more often...

A webcam? Ummm.....

[srgalahad]

man, i hope i never tick you guys off!!!! :icon_lol:

There's always an opportunity to be a "Beta tester" cheezy :icon_lol: