Pro Tip: If You Run A Prison, Maybe Don't Give The Guy In Jail For Computer Fraud The Job Of Reprogramming Your Computers
from the just-a-suggestion dept
Let’s see…. you run a prison and you need to do some work on the computer system. Do you (a) hire a competent professional or (b) hand over the computer system to an inmate who’s in jail for computer fraud, involving phishing scams? Apparently, a prison in the UK went with option (b) and then had to deal with being entirely locked out of the computer system, after the guy hacked around and changed everyone’s passwords. Apparently, that prison-work program needs a few tweaks…
Comments on “Pro Tip: If You Run A Prison, Maybe Don't Give The Guy In Jail For Computer Fraud The Job Of Reprogramming Your Computers”
Rehabilitation
I always hope that even those who have done wrong can right themselves and return to be productive members of society. I actually worked on jail computer systems before on contract, most of the IT folks were clueless. What could be better for one accepting responsibility for their wrongs than the oppritinity to maintain their skills and provide a service. But folks like this give criminals a bad rep. 🙂
Re: Rehabilitation
Yep. I used to communicate with one particular jail, and I knew what person to ask for when I had a question. It was long before I figured out that the person I was talking to was an inmate on work “release” (not really release if he stays in the building I guess)
I can’t imagine that working in a *prison* setting, though.
And yeah, clueless IT people. I could tell you stories at both ends of the spectrum – one jail whose booking database had an XML api, and others where toothless Jimmy was responsible for all the computer thingies.
Hey, it worked in the Shawshank Redemption…
Typo alert
“your computers”, not “you computers”
Re: Typo alert
Oops. Fixed. Thanks.
Re: Typo alert
assho…I mean hole
And yet it sounded so good on paper.
Good news!
Havard: “Boss, guess what! they gave me control of a computer network here in the prison!”
Luthor: “At last!…”
Havard: “And I vandalized it!”
Luthor: “…What?”
Havard: “Yeah, I messed up the password files and locked ’em all out! You should have seen their faces! Now they won’t be able to give us that new TV system for months!”
Luthor: “Doug, next time you’re in the yard I want you to tell that to the biggest, meanest-looking con you can find.”
Re: Good news!
yea I smirked when it seems that all the dude did was the equivalent of a high school/college prank instead of messing up records.
Wow. . .
Somehow I’m not surprised. I’ve seen this many times before, though usually its a high school/college student that felt like screwing around when the school blocked them. That prison deserved it, clearly whoever made this decision wasn’t tech savvy at all, or the prisoner was really convincing.
Changing passwds?
Hell, I’d be looking into changing release dates myself.. But what do I know..
Re: Changing passwds?
Wouldn’t have worked. The prison system is so luddite in the UK that they have all that kind of thing in hardcopy and in triplicate. Though considering they let the inmates loose on the computer system it no longer seems so stupid.
From the six months I worked in a prison back in 2002 this doesn’t surprise me. Most were utterly clueless about computers and I was often asked to print copies of documents which were freely available on the shiny new computer system and post them all round the offices. There was even one member of staff (a typist) who refused to let them replace her old computer which was no capable of using the updated system and so was not internet compatible. She ended up with two computers on her desk, one for typing documents and one purely so she could access the internet. She was, in short, a staggeringly stupid old bat.
helpful inmate
He as a helpful inmate… just making the system secure. Not everyone should have their password the same was their username.
Aiding and abetting
Surely this treads close to the line of handing a free fix to a crack addict? You’d think it was almost criminal in itself…I thought many parole conditions state that offenders like these stay away from technology for a given period of time…perhaps that doesn’t count when you are already in jail!
The Next Thing That They Will
realize is that he changed his sentence and has already released himself. Hope he sends them a nice post card from rio de janeiro.
Like a bail out
kind of like giving a bunch of American bankers billions of dollars after they lost billions..HUH?
Duh
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