San Francisco hacker locks down government network

July 16, 2008 |

San Francisco hacker locks down government network

By John Lister

San Francisco hacker locks down government network A San Francisco systems administrator is behind bars on computer tampering charges – which is ironic as his alleged offence is locking out his colleagues from the city government’s computer network.

Terry Childs is accused of installing a cyber-barrier on the system blocking access to anyone without a password. He refused to hand over the password when questioned by police (after first giving bogus details). He kept his silence even when they threatened to arrest him: a threat they have no followed through on.

Childs is still being paid by the city (at least until an internal hearing on Thursday), but even his $127,735 salary won’t be enough to cover the $5 million bail he must post to get released. The district attorney’s office hinted that the concern wasn’t so much that he’d skip bail, rather than he posed a threat to public safety — presumably through getting online and doing even more damage.

The good new for San Francisco is that Childs’ actions don’t prevent the network, which incorporates 60% of the city government’s data including the e-mail system and web site, from working as usual. However, if there was a crash or other problem, administrators would be unable to save it. There’s also the possibility that the entire network might have to be recreated from scratch, which would take up to eight weeks and cost as much as $250,000.

The most serious fear is that Childs may give the password to an accomplice who could theoretically destroy the data on the system. The DA’s office said he may have set up devices to allow remote access.

It appears Childs had developed a grudge against a recently appointed head of security at the department who’d begun checking who had access to the system. At one stage she locked herself in her office after Childs began taking photographs of her.