Australian Police Database Lacked Root Password

Concerned Citizen writes "The Australian Federal Police database has been hacked, although 'hacked' might be too strong a word for what happens when someone gains access to a MySQL database with no root password. Can you be charged with breaking and entering a house that has the door left wide open? Maybe digital trespassing is a better term for this situation. 'These dipshits are using an automatic digital forensics and incident response tool,' the hacker wrote. 'All of this [hacking] had been done within 30-40 minutes. Could of [sic] been faster if I didn't stop to laugh so much.'"

mmmm........

[gcnaddict]

That's the smell of someone being fired.

Re:According to TFA

[Architect_sasyr]

I will give you a summary of the documented process they did for this then (it was on our local "4 corners" show and had me crying).

They spoke of the Russian DDoS on the Gamboling people in the north, then they jumped around a bit listening to police officers talk a little too quietly (almost mumbling) about IT stuff (which had me cringing the entire time). Then they showed us a 20year old who looked like a try hard metalhead who was apparantly this 'leet hacker' in control of 56,000 .au credit cards.

Finally the two bits that made me cringe the most, was watching them set up the front-page-post of the so-called "hacker forum", and when one of the forensics guys fakes-out what he was doing during the raid: "ok now ive just typed in 'netstat'".

Fucking disgusting. I'm severely tempted to go blackhat just to screw with these guys.

Re:Grammar nazi alert

[Culture20]

What is it that they could of had?

could of halved. Sheesh.

Re:It's still breaking and entering

[Anonymous Coward]

Assault and Battery are sure as damn different things, and separably chargeable.

I understand how one can charge a battery, but how does one charge an assault? Let alone why you'd have to charge them separately... ...

Re:It's still breaking and entering

[Metasquares]

No, but this sounds like an idea for the next Sims expansion pack.

Typical bureaucratic concept of network security

[DarthBart]

We don't need to secure anything...we've got a...

(Tympanic BOOM-BOOM-BOOM)

A FIREWALL!

Didn't have a password?

[billstewart]

I hope the crackers were polite enough to give it one....

Re:It's still breaking and entering

[Anonymous Coward]

please dont give ea ideas T_T

Re:Even if unlocked still breaking and entering

[TheRealMindChild]

Wait... Australia has STATES? We must be WAY behind in getting those stars on the flag

Re:Even if unlocked still breaking and entering

[jasonwc]

Obviously I was referring to the United States, but you are correct in your implication that I should have been more clear especially on a site as pedantic as Slashdot.

Re:Even if unlocked still breaking and entering

[zonky]

Yes, they have 6. [wikipedia.org]

Re:Even if unlocked still breaking and entering

[davester666]

Six states of Australian's also known as Her Majesty's Penal Colony :-)
Committing offense
Charged with offense
Awaiting trial
Convicted
Doing Time
On Parole

Re:mmmm........

[actionbastard]

That's some really fine police work there Lou.

Re:Even if unlocked still breaking and entering

[OrangeCatholic]

Good to know. I had a feeling it was a crime for local cops to download my email. I didn't know it was a felony.

After they started monitoring my internet connection (or rather, the internet connection I happen to use), my reaction was to stop checking my email. Obviously, email is pretty important, so not checking your email can have serious personal consequences. You might miss friends trying to get in touch or business opportunities.

Well, the cops didn't want that, so their reaction was to start checking my email for me. You know, so I wouldn't miss anything important.

The stupidity speaks for itself. I bet the cops that beat Rodney King took him to the hospital afterward and bought him flowers. They're so desperate to be liked by anyone who will take them.

Re:mmmm........

[RiotingPacifist]

Here in the UK, they kick them out! ...wait a few years until everybody forgets about them, then but them back at the same level. But if somebody is incompetent enough to get caught repeatedly, we promote them to lord!

Re:mmmm........

[Mat'nik]

0. A government employee may not harm the government, or, through inaction, allow the government to come to harm.
1. A government employee may not harm a politician or, through inaction, allow a politician to come to harm, except where such orders would conflict with the Zeroth Law.
2. A government employee must obey any orders given to it by politicians, except where such orders would conflict with the Zeroth or First Law.
3. A government employee must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the Zeroth, First or Second Law.

Re:mmmm........

[SwampChicken]

(coming from a govt employee) This is absolutely correct. Blame usually filters down to some low-level employee. In this case, it's probably going to be the tea-lady (who will have no idea as to where the database even is)