Posted on 03/28/2006 9:07:54 AM PST by N3WBI3
Oklahoma city threatens to call FBI over 'renegade' Linux maker Our mistake is YOUR problem By Ashlee Vance in Mountain View Published Friday 24th March 2006 20:20 GMT New year, new job? Click here for thousands of tech vacancies.
The heartland turned vicious this week when an Oklahoma town threatened to call in the FBI because its web site was hacked by Linux maker Cent OS. Problem is CentOS didn't hack Tuttle's web site at all. The city's hosting provider had simply botched a web server.
This tale kicked off yesterday when Tuttle's city manager Jerry Taylor fired off an angry message to the CentOS staff. Taylor had popped onto the city's web site and found the standard Apache server configuration boilerplate that appears with a new web server installation. Taylor seemed to confuse this with a potential hack attack on the bustling town's IT infrastructure. SPONSORED LINKS
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"Who gave you permission to invade my website and block me and anyone else from accessing it???," Taylor wrote to CentOS. "Please remove your software immediately before I report it to government officials!! I am the City Manager of Tuttle, Oklahoma."
Few people would initiate a tech support query like this, but these are dangerous times, and Taylor suspected the worst. (Er, but only the world's most boring hacker would break into a site and then throw up a boilerplate about how to fix the hack.)
CentOS developer Johnny Hughes jumped on the case and tried to explain the situation to Taylor.
"I feel sorry for your city," he replied in an e-mail. "CentOS is an operating system. It is probably installed on the computer that runs your website. . . . Please contact someone who does IT for you and show them the page so that they can configure your apache webserver correctly."
That response didn't go over so well.
"Get this web site off my home page!!!!! It is blocking access to my website!!!!~!," Taylor responded, clearly excited about the situation and sensing that Bin Laden was near.
Again, CentOS jumped in to try and explain some of the technical details behind the problem. It pointed Taylor to this page, saying it was the standard page for a web server and noted that it provides instructions on how to fix the problem. The CentOS staffer suggested that Taylor contact his service provider or have an administrator look into the issue.
That response didn't go over so well.
"Unless this software is removed I will file a complaint with the FBI," Taylor replied.
Later he added,
"I have four computers located at City Hall. All of these computers display the same CentOS page when attempting to bring up Tuttle-ok.gov. Now if your software is not causing this problem, how does it happen??? No one outside this building has complained about this problem. This is a block of public access to a city's website. Remove your software within the next 12 hours or an official complaint to the FBI is being filed!"
And later,
"I am computer literate! I have 22 years in computer systems engineering and operation. Now, can you tell me how to remove 'your software' that you acknowledge you provided free of charge? I consider this 'hacking.'"
After a few more exciting exchanges, CentOS managed to track down the problem for Taylor. It turns out that hosting provider Vidia Communications is running CentOS on some of its servers and had not configured the Tuttle web site properly. CentOS informed Taylor of the situation, and, a day later, Taylor had calmed down.
"The problem has been resolved by VIDIA who used to host the City website," he wrote. "They still provide cable service but do not host the website. The explanation was that they had a crash and during the rebuild they reinstalled the software that affected our website."
"I am sorry that we had to go through the process and accusations to get the problem resolved. It could have been resolved a lot quicker if the initial correspondence with you provided the helpful information that was transmitted in the last messages. My initial contact with VIDIA disallowed any knowledge of creating the problem."
Er, so despite the fact that CentOS went out of its way to figure out the problem for Tuttle, Taylor still places the blame on CentOS for not fixing the problem - that it didn't create - sooner. In addition, Taylor didn't really start off the whole process on the best foot despite Tuttle being a town "Where People Grow - Friendly!" Grow friendly, threaten to bring in the FBI at the drop of a hat - what's the difference?
As of this writing, one Tuttle web site still had not been fixed, although you can find the charming Tuttle man Taylor over here.
Taylor has yet to respond to our request for comment.
It seems that Tuttle has quite the hacking epidemic on its hands. The Tuttle Times newspaper's web site, for example, has had its Forum section cracked. Click at your own risk to see it or have a peek at our screen grab.
To see the full transcript of the web server war, travel over here. It's classic reading. ®
"That's got to be the most pathetic troll post you've come up with in months."
He MEANT that? I thought that was a joke! 8)
"A proper response would have started with 'Sir'"
I guess you're admitting, then, that a proper letter of concern from the city manager should have, too. And that his actions were improper.
Some class you are showing...
If you hate open source so much why do you keep posting to a site that runs open source software, FRiend? Aren't you afraid of being hacked?
self ping
Such brazen rudenss and mind-boggling idiocy screams to be poked with a sharp stick when exposed to the light.
Dearest Mr. Taylor,
You sir, are a moron of unequaled stature.
I'm surprised that CentOS even answered your emails since you aren't even one of their customers.
I think they showed considerable restraint in the face of your unbridled idiocy.
I would have told you to simply piss off and get a clue as to how your own IT infrastructure works.
CentOS got it right from the very start when they said they feel sorry for your city. So do I. At least until such time as the Mayor sees the light and puts you out to pasture.
Regards,
A Yankee Who Knows How The 'Web Works.
You so pegged that!
I don't think I know of any programmers who are so single-mindedly psychotic as the brass_buzzard is. You're new here, so you're probably not familar with his posting history
You wont find a more single minded and unimaginative troll on this site.
"I believe the quote "I feel sorry for your city" could be innocently interpreted as expressing sympathy for the city because of the inconvenience it is suffering due to their web site being down."
I wanted to see it that way, I really tried, but I think it sounds most like a smartaleck response to a ridiculous threat. Still, it wasn't inappropriate unless viewed from a hyperanal 'the-threatening-customer-is-always-right' perspective. Some folks are just not worth dealing with as customers. Lots of people would probably not have even responded to such a jerk city manager. I hope the city is reconsidering who they've hired/elected on the basis of such antics.
Even the NSA is involved--they put out SELinux.
Oh the irony! /sarc :^)
Where is the server located? Hint--the articles of incorporation for the Mozilla Foundation (M.F. Technologies) are in California, with the offices located in Mountain View, CA.
Don't give me any of that "developers are scattered over the world" crap--so are Microsoft's. They have more Indian programmers than Mozilla has employees, yet they are still considered an American Corp.
Firefox is just as American as Microsoft.
Could one of you computer geniuses design a GE post filter, so I can read the interesting parts of these threads and skip the boring 'neener-neener open source suxx' Bravo Sierra? Troublemakers get their asses kicked in the real world, but they seem to be immune on the 'net.
I take it from your last post that you are admitting defeat and got your butt handed to you once again.
He's really stretching now. Gotta post SOMETHING, anything, to satisfy his urge to rave about Linux. I mean, the guy's been reduced to defending Planned Parenthood, for heaven's sake.
A shame, really. I remember a time when the quality of GE's trolling was very good.
No I was showing how stupid it was to compare the commies at Mozilla to Microsoft, as you attempted. Of course I've got lots more of their artwork if you're interested.
Moron.
It's not their responsibility to be helpful or resolve the situation.
You're ignorance knows no bounds.
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