The pair used free software that they downloaded and managed to access a database of university pupils' email passwords and other personal details, as well as spy on MSN Messenger conversations and look at some of the CCTV network. Gaining access to the system took only minutes, they said.
The two 20-year-old students undertook the hacking to expose security flaws in the internal network for the university newspaper, The Oxford Student. After proving the network was easy to crack, the newspaper printed their experiences.
The faculty weren't overly impressed with the students' endeavours, however, and questioned them about their actions before the university proctors before deciding to refer the matter on to Thames Valley police for investigation.
The Oxford staff will decide in September whether the students will be suspended for a year and fined £500 for their exploits. The university, however, hasn't said it will be updating its security procedures.
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Talkback
ha, well i hope they get their asses hack again, and again! access to passwords & cctv, christ what a bunch of idiots the people at oxford are not to learn from this.
19 Jul 04 18:21 ReplyWhat kind of idiots do you think we sys admins are? Would we tell you if we were going to improve security? Of course not- we'd just improve it anyway. For God's sake how stupid are the posters here?
19 Jul 04 23:45 ReplyBut don't forget for all the clever sys admins out there being cunning there are many mmore incompetant and lazy ones that just don't know what they are supposed to be doing so it don't get locked down. I hope they are of the clever type at oxford but have had dealing in the past with the other type there so.... fingers crossed.
20 Jul 04 09:48 ReplyCome on, does anyone gets kudos for breaking into the Principal's office just because the lock on the door was easy to pick?! Is the school responsible for making a fortress of the Principal's office so it is unbreakeable? Of course NOT. That's what rules and laws are for. If they wanted to prove anything they should have come forward upfront.
21 Jul 04 20:09 Reply