FBI Computer System So Screwed Up, You Need To Hack It To Get Stuff Done

From: Rupert Neethling
Sent: 20 August 2006 11:52 AM
To: Gavin Dudley; Peter Robson
Subject: FBI Computer System So Screwed Up, You Need To Hack It To Get Stuff
Done

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060706/114254.shtml

FBI Computer System So Screwed Up, You Need To Hack It To Get Stuff Done

from the not-very-comforting dept

The incredible saga of the FBI's overbudget $500 million computer system
<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060315/0232250.shtml> that needed to be
scrapped after it turned out it was useless in fighting terrorism
<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20040512/098203_F.shtml> apparently had
some other problems as well. The news has come out today that a contractor
hired to work on the computer system was so frustrated by the bureaucracy he
needed to go through to do something as simple as adding a printer to the
network, that he used some free internet tools to breach the network
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/05/AR200607050
1489_pf.html> and get access to the usernames and passwords of 38,000 FBI
employees, including director Robert Mueller. The contractor pleaded guilty
to various charges, though even the FBI admits that he only appears to have
done what he did to actually get work done. It's not clear which part is
more disturbing: that the FBI's computer system was so easily hacked, or
that the best way to get work done at the FBI is to breach its computer
security.