Forums: Fbi Reportedly Hunting Adrian Lamo - Forums

09-05-2003 08:41:27 AM CST -- By Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus

FBI agents armed with a federal arrest warrant out of New York were searching for Adrian Lamo Thursday, according to the hacker and his mother. Two agents visited the home of Lamo's parents, Mario and Mary Lamo, near Sacramento, California, Thursday afternoon, says Mary Lamo.

"They wouldn't tell us anything but that they had an arrest warrant and they wanted to come in," she adds. When she demurred, the agents vowed to return with a search warrant, and have been overtly watching the house from parked cars ever since, she says.

"They followed me when I went out, so they're not hiding it."

Bureau spokespersons could not be reached after hours Thursday. Lamo frequently stays at his parents' home, but he was not there at the time of the FBI's visit, and has not returned since. His mother contacted the Federal Public Defender's office in Sacramento, which has agreed to handle his surrender, she says.

In a telephone interview, Lamo said he was in California, but does not plan to turn himself in until after conferring with the attorney. The hacker was quick-witted and seemingly in good humor, with only a trace of nervousness in his voice. He quipped about the proper etiquette of being arrested by the FBI, and suggested jokingly that SecurityFocus should purchase the publication rights to a favorite photo. He said he was in the company of a camera crew producing a television documentary on hackers.

"I have always said that actions have consequences, and this is something that I was always aware might happen," said Lamo.

"I don't intend to deny anything that I have done, but I do intend to defend myself vigorously."

The 22-year-old Lamo has become famous for publicly exposing gaping security holes at large corporations, then voluntarily helping the companies fix the vulnerabilities he exploited -- sometimes visiting their offices or signing non-disclosure agreements in the process. Until now, his cooperation and transparency have kept him from being prosecuted.

Lamo's hacked Excite@Home, Yahoo, Blogger, and other companies, usually using nothing more than an ordinary Web browser. Some companies have even professed gratitude for his efforts: In December, 2001, Lamo was praised by communications giant WorldCom after he discovered, then helped close, security holes in their intranet that threatened to expose the private networks of Bank of America, CitiCorp, JP Morgan, and others.

Lamo believes the arrest warrant is for his most high-profile hack. Early last year he penetrated the New York Times, after a two-minute scan turned up seven misconfigured proxy servers acting as doorways between the public Internet and the Times private intranet, making the latter accessible to anyone capable of properly configuring their Web browser....continued...


Full article

New York Times psssh they need to take the stick outta their arses. What he was doing I see as a benefit to most, and if not he didn't cause any mayhem if I were Adrian I'd freely make available how I got there but yet I still do not see it. Has to show something about the guy.

GRRRRRR.

Update: hxxp://www.securityfocus.com/news/6907



Hacker Adrian Lamo has agreed to walk into a federal courthouse in Sacramento, California, Tuesday morning and turn himself in to law enforcement officials, Lamo and his attorney said Monday.

In exchange, the government will release him on bail within hours, and allow him to transport himself to New York to face charges stemming from his penetration of the New York Times last year, said deputy federal public defender Mary French.

"I have an investigator who's going to be with him, and I think he'll physically be there at the courthouse at 9:00 a.m.," French said.

If all goes according to plan, Lamo will be taken into custody and booked, then make an appearance before a magistrate judge at 2:00 p.m., when he'll be released on a signature bond. His parents have also agreed to put up their house to guarantee his appearance, said French.

French said she's confirmed with prosecutors that Lamo faces a two-count federal complaint charging him with illegally accessing the New York Times internal network last year. One count charges Lamo with computer intrusion; a second with possession of access devices, specifically passwords for the LexisNexis database service allegedly obtained from the Times network.

The 22-year-old Lamo has become famous for publicly exposing gaping security holes at large corporations, then volunteering to help the companies fix the vulnerabilities he exploited -- sometimes visiting their offices or signing non-disclosure agreements in the process. Until now, his cooperation and transparency have kept him from being prosecuted.

Monday night, Lamo said he had no regrets.

"My views may change as this goes on, but I still think this has somehow all been worthwhile," said the hacker in a telephone interview. "There's no action that I've ever taken that I'm not willing to accept the consequences for."

FBI agents armed with an arrest warrant visited Lamo's parents on Thursday. By Monday, the hacker's supporters had erected a website at FreeLamo.com to support him "and his fight for freedom."

An official at the Sacramento courthouse confirmed that Lamo is expected.

"We are aware that Adrian is supposed to surrender here in this building," said courthouse security officer Warren Eggar. "He would come into the front lobby, and we'd take him from there."

man, you need to update your front page.

latest installment:

Lamo surrenders, is released

By Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus Sep 9 2003 4:39PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--A federal judge ordered Adrian Lamo released to his parents Tuesday afternoon, but barred the hacker from using computers, and ordered him to obtain full-time employment pending trial.

Federal magistrate judge Gregory Hollows ordered Lamo released on a $250,000 bond, part of it secured by his parent's house, in accordance with a negotiated surrender deal reached between the federal public defender's office and New York prosecutors Monday.

The high bail was necessary, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Camil Skipper, because of the hacker's nomadic reputation. "He has led a transient lifestyle, he has been known as the 'homeless hacker,'" Skipper told the court.

Under the terms of his release, Lamo's future wanderings will be confined to the northeastern half of California, and southern New York state, unless he gets prior approval of the court to travel elsewhere.

He was ordered to fly to New York City at the government's expense and turn himself in to FBI agents Thursday morning.

There, he faces a two-count federal complaint charging him with illegally accessing the New York Times internal network last year. One count charges Lamo with computer intrusion; a second with unauthorized posession of "access devices." Federal deputy public defender Mary French said Monday the access devices refer to passwords for the Lexis-Nexis database service allegedly obtained from the Times network.

In custody since his surrender Tuesday morning, Lamo appeared in court in his street clothes, with his hands cuffed at his waist, and listened quietly as Hollows read him his rights. Lamo's mother, Mary Lamo, sat at the back of the courtroom.

Computer Ban
Follwing the recommendation of a federal pretrial services officer who interviewed the hacker in custody, Hollows ordered Lamo to obtain full-time employment or enroll in college pending trial. The ban on computer use was the judge's idea.

"This whole business of computer hacking, viruses and so forth is getting very wearisome," said Hollows, explaining his thinking from the bench.

In recent weeks the Blaster computer worm and the latest variant of the SoBig virus have wreaked havoc on Windows machines throughout the Internet. But virus-writing has little to do with Adrian Lamo.

Alot of companys have liked the help that Adrian gave them, Cept for the one that decided to go up in court against him. Now that just sucks big time. He has been a great help to companys, letting them know that there are holes in thier system, and telling them how to fix em. But this one place decided that he was doing wrong, :\ they need to just go into a hole and die.

Thats my 2 cents.

||SysTeM||

||SysTeM||, on Sep 19 2003, 04:57 AM, said:

It may be your 2 cents but it's also that Adrian was in the wrong doing it in the firstplace he was hacking to it's fullest extent... he however did cover himself up by offering his services but that can only get you so far as you can see in his case.

yeah true.

i was watching TechTV when this all happend they had live call ins from him. and he sounded scared because of all of this. and right before he turned himself in, they did a interview with him on the way to the court house and he looked scared right then. he talked about how he wasn't going to turn himself in till he found out what the charges was, because he didn't want to be blamed for somthing that was not his own work and i don't blame him. ack i'm going on and on about this.


||SysTeM||

||SysTeM||, on Sep 20 2003, 06:45 AM, said:

reason for this is because of he kevin mitnick trial... he never "actually committed an offense" other than a few things but got 2 years and 5 years probation? or something to that extent... But was completely mistreated in the hands of the FBI. Which is why adrian lamo hid away for a few days until he found the charges and the charges were publically known now for that the court is held to some degree to stay just with those charges.

yeah kevin had 3 years without anything that could connect to the internet, or somthing like that. Might have been from computers as well.

i see why he hid away from the FBI for that period of time.

||SysTeM||