[Boogieman]

Yeah this is kid stuff.

What was probably a big security hole is how often that server (and the software on it was updated). Especially with a server in a home, it’s likely it was not patched very often, even with regular Windows updates (since those require a restart and Windows servers don’t restart automatically).

So any hacker worth his salt could probably use any number of vulnerabilities even a few months old to compromise that kind of system.

[FredZarguna]

The server kernel is designed to require fewer reboots, actually, and the default is to auto patch and perform shutdown/restart on low-activity but that doesn't change the point, which is that there are so many reasons -- not the least of which are un-patched vulnerabilities -- that you don't do this kind of thing at your own expense if government security people are ready, willing, and able, to do it for free.

From an IT perspective, there is one -- and literally ONLY one -- reason why you would do this, and that is so that you would be able to hide your virtual paper trail. That's it. There is no other advantage to doing it. It's like sanding off your own fingerprints.