M
Mark Thorson
Guest
The following appeared in RISKS-FORUM Digest 23.26
(http://www.risks.org):
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 13:41:26 -0500 From: "James Bauman"
<[email protected]> Subject: U.S. Senate
security shenanigans
If an independent or Justice Department investigation occurs
beyond the one by the U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms, the
security issues (and their possible accompanying illegal
and/or unethical issues) should be interesting to read
about. Right now, there are a lot of questions about the
incident and not much clarity.
According to a *Chicago Tribune* article, a Senate
Republican clerk, Jason Lundell, watched a system
administrator gain access to Democratic folders on a
network. Then, Mr. Lundell, repeated the administrator's
actions and "downloaded more than 4,670 files" from those
folders. Lundell gave the
files to Manuel Miranda, who was a staffer for Majority
Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Lundell said "Miranda told him
that it was common knowledge that staff could access each
other's files". [Then, I suppose?... Republican
staffers could access Democratic files and Democratic
staffers the Republican ones.]
A Question" If each side could look at each other's files,
then why did Jason Lundell need special knowledge about
network security to download the files?
Regarding this: "Republican committee Chairman Sen. Orrin
Hatch of Utah condemned the actions of the staff members,
who no longer work for the Senate." "'I am mortified that
this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of
confidential files occurred," Hatch said Thursday as he
released the report. "There is no excuse that can justify
these improper actions.'"
Later in the article is this: "Furthermore, Mr. Lundell
recalled that
Mr. Miranda had told him that Sen. Hatch wanted the staff to
use any means necessary to support President Bush's
nominees," the sergeant-at-arms reported.
Seems that the two Republican staffers took "any means
necessary" in the
most literal of senses, and Lundell's assertion in the
previous paragraph could be an embarrassment for Hatch given
Hatch's latest statements of outrage.
Anyway, it's got the earmarks of a good future read as more
facts develop and the smoke clears.
Source: Kristina Herrndobler, GOP staffers accused of taking
senators' files, *Chicago Tribune*, 5 Mar 2004
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
0403050231mar05,1,7561874.story?coll=chi-news-hed
(http://www.risks.org):
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 13:41:26 -0500 From: "James Bauman"
<[email protected]> Subject: U.S. Senate
security shenanigans
If an independent or Justice Department investigation occurs
beyond the one by the U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms, the
security issues (and their possible accompanying illegal
and/or unethical issues) should be interesting to read
about. Right now, there are a lot of questions about the
incident and not much clarity.
According to a *Chicago Tribune* article, a Senate
Republican clerk, Jason Lundell, watched a system
administrator gain access to Democratic folders on a
network. Then, Mr. Lundell, repeated the administrator's
actions and "downloaded more than 4,670 files" from those
folders. Lundell gave the
files to Manuel Miranda, who was a staffer for Majority
Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Lundell said "Miranda told him
that it was common knowledge that staff could access each
other's files". [Then, I suppose?... Republican
staffers could access Democratic files and Democratic
staffers the Republican ones.]
A Question" If each side could look at each other's files,
then why did Jason Lundell need special knowledge about
network security to download the files?
Regarding this: "Republican committee Chairman Sen. Orrin
Hatch of Utah condemned the actions of the staff members,
who no longer work for the Senate." "'I am mortified that
this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of
confidential files occurred," Hatch said Thursday as he
released the report. "There is no excuse that can justify
these improper actions.'"
Later in the article is this: "Furthermore, Mr. Lundell
recalled that
Mr. Miranda had told him that Sen. Hatch wanted the staff to
use any means necessary to support President Bush's
nominees," the sergeant-at-arms reported.
Seems that the two Republican staffers took "any means
necessary" in the
most literal of senses, and Lundell's assertion in the
previous paragraph could be an embarrassment for Hatch given
Hatch's latest statements of outrage.
Anyway, it's got the earmarks of a good future read as more
facts develop and the smoke clears.
Source: Kristina Herrndobler, GOP staffers accused of taking
senators' files, *Chicago Tribune*, 5 Mar 2004
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
0403050231mar05,1,7561874.story?coll=chi-news-hed