MSN Search Employee Arrested for Allegedly Hacking AltaVista

[dannysullivan]

Spotted this from Tara's blog: Man is accused of hacking AltaVista before changing jobs (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/181377_msftsearch09.html).

Woah. The person accused apparently has been working on the new Microsoft search technology. However, Microsoft itself is not accused of any wrong-doing. Everything alleged apparently happened before he started working at Microsoft.

The FBI says he took the source code to see how it evolved after he left.

[rustybrick]

How is taking the altavista source code any different then taking pens or paperclips from altavista? :) just kidding

You think there is any coincidence involved in this guy working at MSN after taking the source code?

[polarmate]

He got into Altavista's system, not once but twice, after he quit which would by itself be a crime as he had no business trying to access anything on their network once he was no longer employed by them. What is worse is that he may have compromised a co-worker's position there as he used their login to get into the system. No pity for him here. :mad:
According to the FBI affidavit, Chavet told investigators that he worked on the AltaVista source code while at the company and logged into the AltaVista system after leaving because he "was 'curious' about the evolution of the source code after his departure."

[wiseMouse]

Do we care? Most people want brilliant search results, that's it.

[Joseph Morin]

Kind of funny when you think about it:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/aptech_story.asp?category=1700&slug=Hacking%20Arrest

[orion]

What Laurent Chavet allegedly Took from AltaVista. Here is the official documentation on the case, already disclosed by Seattle Post Intelligencer and USDOJ.gov sites

(a) Attorney District Office - FBI Office Report (http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/press/html/2004_07_02_chavet.html)
(b) Indictment (http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/press/assets/applets/2004_07_02_Chavet_ind.pdf)
(c) Search Affidavit (http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/chavet_search_affidavit.pdf)

Do we care? Depends who you ask. This is what Chavet, former expert of IBM's WebFountain (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISJ/is_1_43/ai_114367551/pg_7) allegedly did. According to the affidavit

1. he obtained a co-worker password to the AV system by looking over the shoulder (co-worker identity disclosed in the affidavit).
2. He then telnet to trek1.sv.av.com4000 and scooter15.sv.av.lcom4000 machines.
3. The affidavit continues saying that he copied W3TREK. AV uses W3TREK to scour the Web. The affidavit suggests he knew exactly what he was doing, that he planned the whole thing.

It is hard to imagine he worked alone, but anything in this sense would be speculations. Still, if someone steal proprietary technology from Google, users' logged queries and sessions, users' passwords from GMAIL, social security and credit information, AdWord accounts info, "do we care"? The answer depends on the "paper trail" compromised. If it's my online transactions/behaviors as a user, I would care.

Of course, it won't matter to those that do not use AV (or Google). How about those that do use the engines? Here is where business intelligence becomes relevant.


Orion