[Infowarrior] - Congressional aide punk'd, then fired

[Richard Forno]

 Congressional aide punk'd, then fired
Robert Lemos 2006-12-22
http://www.securityfocus.com/print/brief/391

A member of a Republican Congressman's public relations staff attempted to
hire two "hackers" to change a college grade, but instead became the punch
line of an online joke, giving up his Social Security number, school ID, and
even taking a picture of a squirrel, according to online reports.

In transcripts of the e-mail exchange, a person claiming to be Todd Shriber
(corrected)--the communications director for U.S. Representative Denny
Rehberg (R-Mont.)--asked members of security Web site Attrition.org in
August to help him change his college grades. Shriber, when contacted by a
reporter at NetworkWorld, eventually admitted yesterday afternoon that he
did indeed send the e-mail messages.

The Congressman fired the communications director on Thursday, according to
media reports.

Perhaps the oddest piece of the exchange was the ability of the two
Attrition.org members--security professional Brian Martin, also known as
"Jericho," and another member using the name "Lyger"--to convince Scriber
that he needed to provide them with a picture of a squirrel or pigeon.

"I can supply all that," Shriber allegedly wrote when Jericho asked for
Scriber's personal information and whether or not there were pigeons on
campus. "Forgive what I assume is dumb question, but what are pigeons? I
know you're not talking about the bird."

To which "Jericho" responded: "Actually I am."

When the duo assured him that a picture of a squirrel would work fine,
Shriber sent a picture a week later.

Politicians and business leaders have not been above dabbling in cybercrime.
In 2004, two Republican staffers repeatedly took Democratic memos that had
mistakenly been left accessible on the U.S. Senate's network and leaked them
to the press. This year, a staff member to Phil Angelides, the Democratic
rival to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, took audio files that
had also apparently been left accessible on the Schwarzenegger's campaign
site. And, in 2005, a number of prospective business students hired a hacker
who had access to business school networks to find out whether they had been
accepted.

Rep. Rehberg's office could not immediately provide a comment on the issue.

CORRECTION: The original news brief had misspelled Todd Shriber's name. The
article was also updated at 10:30 am PT with the news that Rep. Rehberg's
office fired the communications director on Thursday.