5 ms·

Famous hacker suddenly finds himself infamous, in some quarters

64 points by ukdm 16y ago

lenni 16y ago
Am I the only one who finds the narrative of the article, namely the reclusive genius, shunning most worldly possessions, a little cliched?
- rbanffy 16y ago
  If Lamo is a textbook Asperger, the description more or less fits.
- surlyadopter 16y ago
  No, and whats worse is practically every article about Lamo uses those same talking points.
- tomhogans 16y ago
  you would have trouble finding someone who spends more time manicuring their public image. check the recent edits on the wikipedia article about him if you don't believe me.
  - peterwwillis 16y ago
    the entire story breaking was based on this principle. he thought it would be best if he basically made a press statement via wired column through a friend who would say all the right things, a day before an official statement by the military. if anyone wants more examples they are not hard to find. now the story is actually about him and not the leaker in question. this kid should run for office.
- izak30 16y ago
  Seems very, very close to profiles of mitnick.
nzmsv 16y ago
While I disagree with what Lamo did, Manning is an idiot for bragging about what he did to anyone, and the "Russian roulette" argument is perhaps sound.
- dkarl 16y ago
  I'm tempted to agree with Lamo. It doesn't sound like Manning was thinking carefully about what information he released or why. He was just a lost soul who found a way to feel important and wield power against a system he felt trapped in. If he really had an agenda to expose U.S. wrongdoing or give Americans a better understanding of the nature of war and the consequences of projecting American power overseas, then I would be all behind him. If he was thinking that carefully, though, he wouldn't have needlessly incriminated himself to a near-stranger.
  - mcantelon 16y ago
    There is no doubt that Manning was stupid, but he's a 22 YO kid. Lamo made no attempt to talk the kid down: he just sold him out to a military that runs secret prisons, tortures, and claims the right to be able to assassinate its own citizens. My guess is Lamo, despite his argument that there was morality behind what he did, sold the kid out to protect himself. Given Lamo's lax sentence for past crimes (6 months house arrest), I'd guess he made an agreement to inform in the future.
    - jimfl 16y ago
      It isn't like Lamo sold out a fellow hacker; Manning had special access, and probably obtained the leaked information using that, rather than any particular skills. That phone call to Lamo was tantamount to "Hi. You don't know me, but you're now an accessory to treason." Already convicted felon or not, nobody needs that kind of turd dropped right in the middle of their life.
      - mechanical_fish 16y ago
        I agree completely. Except for one thing: "Already convicted felon or not" makes it sound as if being convicted of felony A makes it easier to handle being accused of felony B. But the opposite is the case. Lamo could easily have been looking at a scenario where he got far worse punishment than the actual perp. Getting a conviction against a known felon is so, so easy. It's not inconceivable that he would have ended up taking the fall. Just because it happens in spy novels doesn't mean it can't happen. As for the ethics of turning Manning over to the tender mercies of the US Government: no matter what you may think of the ethics of commiting the particular crime that Manning is accused of, there are limits to how far down the cliff you should follow a suicidal person. When you get a cold call from someone you do not know to tell you about some serious Federal crimes, there are several possibilities. One is that the caller is the real thing. Another, far more likely, is that he's mentally ill or trying to punk or scam you. Yet another is that he's a government agent trying to entrap you. But one thing is for sure: there is nothing that you, the world, or the "hacker" community will lose by turning this guy in. He's obviously an order of magnitude too indiscreet to be a good spy, he's going to succeed in getting himself caught any second now, and the only question is whether you're going down with him.
lelele 16y ago
Boring prose. I couldn't make it to the end. Journalism should not try to engage readers at the expense of telling news. Where is the news in the first sentences?
- enneff 16y ago
  Indeed. Very frustrating. "Lamo is the most famous computer hacker in the world at the moment" If he's so famous, then why have I never heard of him? Get to the point.
Aegean 16y ago
Not so interesting from a hacking perspective. He chat with a soldier and released information on his findings and now he's a famous hacker?
- DCoder 16y ago
  He didn't get the "famous hacker" label for this incident. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Lamo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Lamo

64 points by ukdm 16y ago

lenni 16y ago

Am I the only one who finds the narrative of the article, namely the reclusive genius, shunning most worldly possessions, a little cliched?

rbanffy 16y ago
If Lamo is a textbook Asperger, the description more or less fits.
surlyadopter 16y ago
No, and whats worse is practically every article about Lamo uses those same talking points.
tomhogans 16y ago
you would have trouble finding someone who spends more time manicuring their public image. check the recent edits on the wikipedia article about him if you don't believe me.
- peterwwillis 16y ago
  the entire story breaking was based on this principle. he thought it would be best if he basically made a press statement via wired column through a friend who would say all the right things, a day before an official statement by the military. if anyone wants more examples they are not hard to find. now the story is actually about him and not the leaker in question. this kid should run for office.
izak30 16y ago
Seems very, very close to profiles of mitnick.

nzmsv 16y ago

While I disagree with what Lamo did, Manning is an idiot for bragging about what he did to anyone, and the "Russian roulette" argument is perhaps sound.

dkarl 16y ago
I'm tempted to agree with Lamo. It doesn't sound like Manning was thinking carefully about what information he released or why. He was just a lost soul who found a way to feel important and wield power against a system he felt trapped in. If he really had an agenda to expose U.S. wrongdoing or give Americans a better understanding of the nature of war and the consequences of projecting American power overseas, then I would be all behind him. If he was thinking that carefully, though, he wouldn't have needlessly incriminated himself to a near-stranger.
- mcantelon 16y ago
  There is no doubt that Manning was stupid, but he's a 22 YO kid. Lamo made no attempt to talk the kid down: he just sold him out to a military that runs secret prisons, tortures, and claims the right to be able to assassinate its own citizens. My guess is Lamo, despite his argument that there was morality behind what he did, sold the kid out to protect himself. Given Lamo's lax sentence for past crimes (6 months house arrest), I'd guess he made an agreement to inform in the future.
  - jimfl 16y ago
    It isn't like Lamo sold out a fellow hacker; Manning had special access, and probably obtained the leaked information using that, rather than any particular skills. That phone call to Lamo was tantamount to "Hi. You don't know me, but you're now an accessory to treason." Already convicted felon or not, nobody needs that kind of turd dropped right in the middle of their life.
    - mechanical_fish 16y ago
      I agree completely. Except for one thing: "Already convicted felon or not" makes it sound as if being convicted of felony A makes it easier to handle being accused of felony B. But the opposite is the case. Lamo could easily have been looking at a scenario where he got far worse punishment than the actual perp. Getting a conviction against a known felon is so, so easy. It's not inconceivable that he would have ended up taking the fall. Just because it happens in spy novels doesn't mean it can't happen. As for the ethics of turning Manning over to the tender mercies of the US Government: no matter what you may think of the ethics of commiting the particular crime that Manning is accused of, there are limits to how far down the cliff you should follow a suicidal person. When you get a cold call from someone you do not know to tell you about some serious Federal crimes, there are several possibilities. One is that the caller is the real thing. Another, far more likely, is that he's mentally ill or trying to punk or scam you. Yet another is that he's a government agent trying to entrap you. But one thing is for sure: there is nothing that you, the world, or the "hacker" community will lose by turning this guy in. He's obviously an order of magnitude too indiscreet to be a good spy, he's going to succeed in getting himself caught any second now, and the only question is whether you're going down with him.

lelele 16y ago

Boring prose. I couldn't make it to the end. Journalism should not try to engage readers at the expense of telling news. Where is the news in the first sentences?

enneff 16y ago
Indeed. Very frustrating. "Lamo is the most famous computer hacker in the world at the moment" If he's so famous, then why have I never heard of him? Get to the point.

Aegean 16y ago

Not so interesting from a hacking perspective. He chat with a soldier and released information on his findings and now he's a famous hacker?

DCoder 16y ago
He didn't get the "famous hacker" label for this incident. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Lamo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Lamo