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How is it known that she accessed the bank account if she didn't do anything beyond checking the balance? Similarly, why is it being investigated if that's all
by jfoster 7y ago
How is it known that she accessed the bank account if she didn't do anything beyond checking the balance? Similarly, why is it being investigated if that's all she did? If you take out the "from space" element of this, it's pretty uninteresting and probably happens all the time without being investigated.
- ghaff 7y agoThe information is in the original New York Times story. "Ms. Worden [the 'estranged spouse'] put her intelligence background to work, asking her bank about the locations of computers that had recently accessed her bank account using her login credentials. The bank got back to her with an answer: One was a computer network registered to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration."
- dekhn 7y agoThat's incomplete, though- NASA has terrestrial computers.
- maxerickson 7y agoIt is overwhelmingly likely that she was the only person with access to both a NASA computer and the account credentials.
- ghaff 7y agoI would assume the bank may have provided her with more specific information than it was some NASA network, including the date. Furthermore, the person making the complaint pretty much knew who it was (and that person subsequently admitted it). This isn't about tracking down a random person at NASA.
- mikeash 7y agoIf Comcast can tell you which customer had a given IP address at a given time, I’m sure NASA can figure out that a given IP address was the one used for ISS traffic.
- saagarjha 7y agoOr perhaps they used GeoIP: https://www.xkcd.com/713/ https://www.xkcd.com/713/
- Nightshaxx 7y agoI knew I was gonna find this here.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- perlgeek 7y agoIf it happened during the time that Anne McClain was on the ISS, and she was the only person within NASA with credentials to this account, it seems like a plausible conclusion that she accessed the it from space.
- dekhn 7y agoit's plausible but it's not true/factual (imagine a bank that didn't expire credentials, somebody broke into her computer at work and logged in there, etc, etc). However, she did apparently admit she did this. I was just hoping the article had a line line, "and NASA verified the IP was coming from space" or something like that. Otherwise, it's circumstantial.
- ceejayoz 7y agoThe article says she admitted to doing it, so there’s that.
- reaperducer 7y agoThat's incomplete, though- NASA has terrestrial computers That's why it's an investigation, not a conviction.
- yborg 7y agoStory was updated. "Anne McClain acknowledges accessing the account from the ISS but denies any wrongdoing, the New York Times reports."
- coding123 7y agoIf it was illegal for her to log in then why does she have credentials. This story is so hopelessly stupid, I'm surprised it's gotten picked up
- ghaff 7y agoA complaint was filed. We don't know why the NASA employee still had access to the (formerly joint?) account. [ADDED: One would have thought the person whose account was accessed would have been savvy enough to have changed their password unless there's some important detail that's missing.] Space law is obviously the somewhat interesting story angle. Other than that it's certainly a complete non-story.
- mpoteat 7y agoAs it turns out, just because a window is left unlocked doesn't mean you can just burglarize a place.
- kissickas 7y agoHanding someone the key to your house doesn't imply granting them permission to enter, though?
- goodcanadian 7y agoPermission to enter can be revoked, such as in the case of divorce, even if the individual still, technically, has a key.
- yellowapple 7y agoSure, but for this to be an easy case to prosecute, it helps if there's documentation of that revocation (as a personal example: I've known plenty of family members and acquaintances who maintained accounts with ex-spouses, especially for things like childcare and other responsibilities that don't exactly go away just because a relationship went sour). Also, if one does want to make sure a previously-authorized individual can no longer access something, the responsible thing is to change the locks ASAP, thus revoking that implicit authorization.
- orpheline 7y agoTangential question I don't think anyone here can answer: what did the Times mean by 'put her intelligence background to work'? Does that mean her training suggested a possible thing she should check? Or does it mean she somehow used her position or contacts within the intelligence community to get information which would not otherwise be provided? I've never asked my bank for this type of information; I've no idea whether or not a bank would provide it (although it seems a reasonable request)... But if she used her official position to get information she would not otherwise be provided, that's a pretty clear ethics violation. I'm not throwing stones here;I just wish the Times quote was clearer.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- paxys 7y ago> If you take out the "from space" element of this, it's pretty uninteresting and probably happens all the time without being investigated "If you take out the interesting aspect of the story it becomes uninteresting"