- Nokia's new N97 vs. the iPhone
- Talk-powered cell phones?
- FBI: Copper thieves jeopardize U.S. infrastructure
- 10 Microsoft research projects
- Smartphone smackdown: Storm vs. iPhone
In its bid to protect the city from one computer security risk, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office may very well have created another.
The office of San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris has made public close to 150 usernames and passwords used by various departments to connect to the city's virtual private network. The passwords were filed this week as Exhibit A in a court document arguing against a reduction in $5 million bail in the case of Terry Childs, who is accused of holding the city's network hostage by refusing to give up administrative networking passwords. Childs was arrested July 12 on charges of computer tampering and is being held in the county jail.
Though they placed the passwords in the public record, city prosecutors do seem to think that they are sensitive.
The passwords, discovered on Childs' computer, pose an "imminent threat" to the city's computer network, according to the court filing. Childs could use the names and passwords to "impersonate any of the legitimate users in the City by using their password to gain access to the system," the motion against the bail reduction states.
Although the DA's office did not say what the passwords were used for, a source familiar with the situation said that they are for logging into the city's virtual private network, and that this type of information is something that a network administrator like Childs would be expected to have.
Posting these passwords in public creates a security risk, although the passwords are not enough to give a criminal access to the city's VPN. The passwords are so-called "phase one" passwords, and must be combined with a second password to access the network, the source said.
The passwords are used by city workers accessing the network from home computers or via laptops while they are outside of city offices. The passwords are for many city departments including the police department, the mayor's office, and the Department of Telecommunications and Information Services (DTIS), where Childs worked.
The city should be "moving very aggressively" to change the passwords as quickly as it can, said Robert Grapes, chief technologist of data center solutions for Cloakware, a vendor of password management software.
Rss FeedRss Feed
| NetworkWorld, Inc. | About Network World, Inc. | Advertise | Careers | Contact us | Terms of Service/Privacy | Reprints and links | Partnerships | Press room | Subscribe to NW |
| IDG, Inc. | CIO | Computerworld | CSO | Demo | GamePro | Games.net | IDGconnect.com | IDG World Expo | Infoworld | JavaWorld.com | LinuxWorld.com | MacUser | Macworld | PC World | Playlistmag.com | The Industry Standard | IDG List Services | IDG TechNetwork |
 The Leader in Network Knowledge© 1994-2008 Network World, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Partner Content
Brilliantly simple security and control solutions for email, web and endpoint
www.sophos.com
Stopping data leakage
Learn how to exploit your current security investment to control the information that flows into, through and out of your network.
Download the white paper.
Why detection rates aren't enough
Evaluating endpoint security products is a time-consuming and daunting task. Learn the six critical questions you need to ask prospective vendors to get the right endpoint solution.
Download the white paper.
Applications: taking back control
Employees installing unauthorized applications is a growing threat to business security and productivity. Cost-effectively reduce this threat by integrating control into your malware protection.
Learn more today.
Comments (4)
While there is blame to go around, Childs is far from innocentBy RickB on July 28, 2008, 6:30 pmAs I recall, this gentleman who was guilty of lack of tact also had around $10K in cash on his person when he was arrested. That indicates the possibility of flight...
Reply | Read entire comment
IncompetanceBy Anonymous on July 28, 2008, 1:53 pmWell, if Child's lawyer is trying to prove incompetence, it's certainly nice of the city DA to help provide further evidence! This is massive incompetence and they...
Reply | Read entire comment
The whole thing is a blunderBy RickB on July 28, 2008, 12:51 pmIt's my opinion that the situation has been mishandled pretty much from the get-go. Clearly there are security processes and policies that need to be evaluated...
Reply | Read entire comment
S.F DA Discloses City PasswordsBy Anonymous on July 28, 2008, 9:37 amThis blunder by the DA is proof of the incompetence that surrounds the city administration. I can only think that the lawyers for Mr. Childs are having a field...
Reply | Read entire comment
View all comments