Silly misinformed usual Sky news nonsense. This is not hacking. And what kind of idiot would put passwords onto text files, and lewd images in a folder labelled 'private'? Anybody who does so deserve to have their identity stolen and their images fapped upon.
Hmmm.. The same kind of people who buy Celine Dion albums. Cheers for making me laugh..I shall try to use the word Frap and frapped as often as possible tonight.
That's like saying anybody who pays a workman to change the locks in their house deserves to be burgled. When you employ someone to do a job they should do the job without attempting to defraud you or steal your information or possessions. To blame the victim because the person they employed decides to rob them is totally idiotic.
And in what why is the article nonsense? To me it seems to be a perfectly valid and well executed investigation. Which part of it is nonsense exactly? Are you saying they simply made the whole thing up and you managed to infer that it was made up simply by reading the article.
if you read the article you would find out this was a set-up. the passwords contained in a file where for a bank account and other social network sites. but they were all fake. they just wanted to test several shops in uk and see what they do with a small problem on the laptop.
@Richard: I agree with you in principle. That said, I think his issue was more with leaving passwords in an openly available text file. So the equivalent situation involving a locksmith is if you hired him, left the house while he was repairing the door and with your expensive jewelry and a wad of money sitting on the counter near the door and he stole all of it.
The set up was ridiculous. I understand it was needed in order to verify how far they would go with information they found.
The stupid part of the article was the headline stating that it was 'hacking'. No hacking took place - they guy was just browsing the machine as any other user would. In fact the machine was 'hacked' even before it was given to the technician.
@Mark "So the equivalent situation involving a locksmith is if you hired him, left the house while he was repairing the door and with your expensive jewelry and a wad of money sitting on the counter near the door and he stole all of it."
How does this even compare? You're not losing data, so the loss of tangible monies and property just isn't there. In my opinion, if you're storing your passwords/ssn/bank account info in a text file on your computer, you're asking to have your identity messed with. I say this as someone who has had their identity "stolen". When I was applying for a job at 16 I was told I needed to settle my recent foreclosure after they rand a credit check. On the other coast. This was news to me. I had never used my ssn for anything before, and to the best of my knowledge never had my card taken from a safety deposit box.
tl;dr ID theft happens. Don't give someone the opportunity, and it is less likely to happen, if it does end up happening, handle it.
This is like inviting a pumbler into your home and leaving your money, nude pictures of yourself around as well as the safe open with a label 'steal me'.
The majority of people will have no issues, but there are always bad apples out there. One just need to exercise some form of precaution, like, I don't know, not leaving their password in a text file!
Oh yeah, this is Sky news. They make it sound like something they just discovered, but any sane person knows that these are what the majority of uncertified computer repairmen does.
BTW: I know it was a setup. I read the article, that was how I knew about the text file and 'private' folder containing sexy pictures of the journo.
It's more like inviting a plumber into your home to work on your kitchen, and then leaving for an errand, but you left your money in a wallet inside of your dresser underneath your underwear, then nude pictures of yourself in a closed folder marked "private" on the desk in your study of which you've closed the door. Then you have an opened safe full of money in your closet, behind all your jackets.
So you think it's deserved that the plumber you hired to fix your kitchen sink goes straight into your bedroom, rummages around your dresser, looks through your underwear, then finds a wallet full of money, takes the money, then goes looks through your closet, moving clothes around and then finding and open safe, then helps himself to the money, then wanders around, opens your study door, sees a folder marked private, then xeroxes all the contents of the "private" folder?
You're blaming the victim. Though, yes, if they were "smart" they'd be more careful, but if they were "smart" they'd know how to fix their computers themselves. You're looking at things in the eyes of someone who's computer savvy. A lot of people aren't.
By your logic, "Steal This Book," should not be paid for. Why do grocery stores leave produce out? Why do people leave lawn furniture in their backyard?
Just because no one is looking doesn't give you the right to take it. Your theory is nonsense, because it makes it seem like its okay to steal. It's not. It is never, ever, under any circumstances, okay. If I leave the door to my car unlocked, that does not excuse you taking it. Period. The end. There is nothing to discuss. Stealing of any kind is wrong. There is no grey area here. If you take something that does not belong to you, you are stealing. The circumstances do not matter!
"And what kind of idiot would put passwords onto text files, and lewd images in a folder labelled 'private'? Anybody who does so deserve to have their identity stolen and their images fapped upon."
You people make me sick. That is like blaming a rape victim because of the way she dressed, saying "she was asking for it". The technician had no reasonable purpose in searching the computer's files at all. They definitely should not have been digging through the computer for personal information or photos... and then trying to steal them.
Yes, people should be more cautious with private information in general. Yes, people should know who they can trust with their PCs. No, people should not be blamed for someone else invading their privacy.
They deserve it? It does not matter if they have their personal information on the computer that is no excuse whatsoever. This is a matter of ethics which clearly that company had none and should be put out of business. Not to mention jail time for good measure.
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Silly misinformed usual Sky news nonsense. This is not hacking. And what kind of idiot would put passwords onto text files, and lewd images in a folder labelled 'private'? Anybody who does so deserve to have their identity stolen and their images fapped upon.
Hmmm.. The same kind of people who buy Celine Dion albums. Cheers for making me laugh..I shall try to use the word Frap and frapped as often as possible tonight.
Fully agree with you about Sky News...
The same kind of idiot who would have to take their computer to a repair shop rather than fixing it themselves?
actually the privacy issue is only part of the story. The other part is charging 200 quid to pop a memory module back in place.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/video
Eh, be careful when you say things like that. You could end up shocking all of Asia again.
That's like saying anybody who pays a workman to change the locks in their house deserves to be burgled. When you employ someone to do a job they should do the job without attempting to defraud you or steal your information or possessions. To blame the victim because the person they employed decides to rob them is totally idiotic.
And in what why is the article nonsense? To me it seems to be a perfectly valid and well executed investigation. Which part of it is nonsense exactly? Are you saying they simply made the whole thing up and you managed to infer that it was made up simply by reading the article.
if you read the article you would find out this was a set-up. the passwords contained in a file where for a bank account and other social network sites. but they were all fake. they just wanted to test several shops in uk and see what they do with a small problem on the laptop.
@Richard: I agree with you in principle. That said, I think his issue was more with leaving passwords in an openly available text file. So the equivalent situation involving a locksmith is if you hired him, left the house while he was repairing the door and with your expensive jewelry and a wad of money sitting on the counter near the door and he stole all of it.
@Richard
The set up was ridiculous. I understand it was needed in order to verify how far they would go with information they found.
The stupid part of the article was the headline stating that it was 'hacking'. No hacking took place - they guy was just browsing the machine as any other user would. In fact the machine was 'hacked' even before it was given to the technician.
Apparently you missed the point. It's not about hacking. It's about violating their customers' privacy.
@Mark
"So the equivalent situation involving a locksmith is if you hired him, left the house while he was repairing the door and with your expensive jewelry and a wad of money sitting on the counter near the door and he stole all of it."
How does this even compare? You're not losing data, so the loss of tangible monies and property just isn't there. In my opinion, if you're storing your passwords/ssn/bank account info in a text file on your computer, you're asking to have your identity messed with. I say this as someone who has had their identity "stolen". When I was applying for a job at 16 I was told I needed to settle my recent foreclosure after they rand a credit check. On the other coast. This was news to me. I had never used my ssn for anything before, and to the best of my knowledge never had my card taken from a safety deposit box.
tl;dr
ID theft happens. Don't give someone the opportunity, and it is less likely to happen, if it does end up happening, handle it.
This is like inviting a pumbler into your home and leaving your money, nude pictures of yourself around as well as the safe open with a label 'steal me'.
The majority of people will have no issues, but there are always bad apples out there. One just need to exercise some form of precaution, like, I don't know, not leaving their password in a text file!
Oh yeah, this is Sky news. They make it sound like something they just discovered, but any sane person knows that these are what the majority of uncertified computer repairmen does.
BTW: I know it was a setup. I read the article, that was how I knew about the text file and 'private' folder containing sexy pictures of the journo.
No, it's not like that at all.
It's more like inviting a plumber into your home to work on your kitchen, and then leaving for an errand, but you left your money in a wallet inside of your dresser underneath your underwear, then nude pictures of yourself in a closed folder marked "private" on the desk in your study of which you've closed the door. Then you have an opened safe full of money in your closet, behind all your jackets.
So you think it's deserved that the plumber you hired to fix your kitchen sink goes straight into your bedroom, rummages around your dresser, looks through your underwear, then finds a wallet full of money, takes the money, then goes looks through your closet, moving clothes around and then finding and open safe, then helps himself to the money, then wanders around, opens your study door, sees a folder marked private, then xeroxes all the contents of the "private" folder?
You're blaming the victim. Though, yes, if they were "smart" they'd be more careful, but if they were "smart" they'd know how to fix their computers themselves. You're looking at things in the eyes of someone who's computer savvy. A lot of people aren't.
By your logic, "Steal This Book," should not be paid for. Why do grocery stores leave produce out? Why do people leave lawn furniture in their backyard?
Just because no one is looking doesn't give you the right to take it. Your theory is nonsense, because it makes it seem like its okay to steal. It's not. It is never, ever, under any circumstances, okay. If I leave the door to my car unlocked, that does not excuse you taking it. Period. The end. There is nothing to discuss. Stealing of any kind is wrong. There is no grey area here. If you take something that does not belong to you, you are stealing. The circumstances do not matter!
@elaborate scenario spinners
No no! This is like
::really elaborate metaphor involving plumbers, repairmen, money, photographs and priceless jewels::
"And what kind of idiot would put passwords onto text files, and lewd images in a folder labelled 'private'? Anybody who does so deserve to have their identity stolen and their images fapped upon."
You people make me sick. That is like blaming a rape victim because of the way she dressed, saying "she was asking for it". The technician had no reasonable purpose in searching the computer's files at all. They definitely should not have been digging through the computer for personal information or photos... and then trying to steal them.
Yes, people should be more cautious with private information in general. Yes, people should know who they can trust with their PCs. No, people should not be blamed for someone else invading their privacy.
They deserve it? It does not matter if they have their personal information on the computer that is no excuse whatsoever. This is a matter of ethics which clearly that company had none and should be put out of business. Not to mention jail time for good measure.