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Other Stuff That Has Little To Do With PLA => General Discussions => Ask Anyone => Topic started by: Magus on October 23, 2008, 06:43:14 PM

Title: How much trouble could I get in if...
Post by: Magus on October 23, 2008, 06:43:14 PM
I've been working on a website for quite some time. It's called PreHack and is a lot like PhoneLosers, except instead of focusing on only phone-related stuff, PreHack covering a little bit of everything. Also, because I'm such a silly little computer newb, the "hacks" (term used loosely here) I write about are mainly for people just starting their journey into the H/P scene. In other words, 12-year olds with fantasies of blowing up the Death Star.

Anyway, I also thought it would be a neat idea to have my readers send in cracked usernames and passwords. They could be for MySpace, Yahoo, FaceBook, AOL or any other website. I would check to see if they work, then I would add them to a list on the site. Everybody would be able to access the list at first, but if somebody started being a dick about it, I would password-protect the page and only regulars would have access.


This is an Alpha version of the Hacked List:

www.prehack.org/do-it-yourself/hacked-list


What I want to know is: how much trouble could I get in by posting these usernames and passwords? The ones I have up now all work and I have many more; but these are just normal people who send stupid emails and write about gay things. I mean, it's not like I'm posting the President's info. So could they still lock me up for life?

Title: Re: How much trouble could I get in if...
Post by: MattGSX on October 24, 2008, 07:39:49 AM
No, but if the information was obtained illegally (cracked account, SE, brute force, etc, etc), then you have no legal right to host it on your site. If one of these account holders sees their info on your site, shit could hit the fan. I can think of a few sites that had similar issues:

1) Phonebomb - post phone numbers of people you want harassed, and the entire community will call this person endlessly and harass the shit out of them until they lose all dignity or just shut their phone off. I don't think any of the charges stuck, but I remember the site owner getting lots of threats of harassment charges from the police. Eventually, the site was shut down because the host determined it was up for the purposes of harassment.

2) "can't remember name" - almost an identical premise to yours. Someone pisses you off - crack their accounts and post the information for everyone to see. Read their email, send out harassing messages to their friends, get personal information, etc, etc. Police attempted to charge site owner for illegally accessing every account listed on the site, but I'm not sure how many stuck. Site was definitely shut down.

What I'd recommend, if you're going to do something like this, is to make it a closed community, with anything remotely incriminating available only to registered users. You can check out the users yourself before activating them, or (if you want to keep the community small), you can just make it an invite-only system.

Another idea is to host the site somewhere overseas. As the site owner, you're still legally responsible for the content, but you'd have a much smaller chance of getting shut down due to victims complaining.
Title: Re: How much trouble could I get in if...
Post by: z3wb on October 24, 2008, 03:07:58 PM
Let's delve into the deepest, darkest reaches of Bryant Ringel's sent mail folder.

Quote
from   Bryant Ringel <bryantringel@gmail.com>
to   Global Media Outreach <nextsteps@ichristianlife.com>
date   Sat, Jun 28, 2008 at 8:50 AM
subject   Re: Day 4 - THE BIBLE: A WORD FOR ALL AGES
mailed-by   gmail.com
   
i am, relly happy with this stude. it is helping me alot. Prise the LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bryant Ringel is a godly man and is relly happy to give prise to the lord.

Quote
from   Bryant Ringel <bryantringel@gmail.com>
to   jano@cupojoy.com
date   Wed, Jul 2, 2008 at 8:29 PM
subject   Thanks
mailed-by   gmail.com
   
Hi Jan
This is Bryant Ringel. I used tocome to the cupojoy. I willnot be able to come for a while. I am living at TCHCC. My address is ********************. I am this place to get help with my mental health. Everyday I am getting better. I have learned to turn my problems over to the Lord. I know and trust that he will help me through my rough times. Well have a great time with the cupojoy. May the good Lord blessyou and keep you safe. I will put you in my prayers, please keep, me in your prayers as. I relly miss you and spicial place where I had the best times of my.

The e-mail just cuts off right there, so I'm assuming he snapped in mid-sentence and bludgeoned an orderly with a leatherbound bible. I'm not even going to mess with this guy, he's got enough problems already.

You oughta be ashamed of yourself, Magus, goin' around posting the email passwords of mentally handicapped Christians just for shits and giggles.

But seriously, posting passwords on public websites isn't a good idea. Distribute them on IRC like everyone else does.

Quote
from   Bryant Ringel <bryantringel@gmail.com>
to   bryantringel@gmail.com
date   Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 5:13 PM
subject   :)
mailed-by   gmail.com
   
HELLO BRYANT!

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Really, I'm sorry.
Title: Re: How much trouble could I get in if...
Post by: MattGSX on October 30, 2008, 01:58:15 PM
Huh. He lives about an hour from me.
Title: Re: How much trouble could I get in if...
Post by: Magus on October 30, 2008, 03:51:05 PM
Quote
You oughta be ashamed of yourself, Magus, goin' around posting the email passwords of mentally handicapped Christians just for shits and giggles.

I went ahead and password protected it. Mainly because Zewb made me feel bad :'(

I'll have to give this some second thoughts, I don't want my beautiful PreHack.org to be shut down  :-\