Early May Software Roundup
In this roundup of interesting software tidbits, we learn that you might not want to take advantage of software bugs you find when playing video poker. Also, autocratic governments are using spy software to track activists and suspected dissidents.
Exploiting a Video Poker Software Bug Could Land You in Hot Water
While card counting may get you thrown out of Vegas, it’s not likely to get you in trouble with the Feds. If you’re thinking of manipulating software to get a comparative advantage in your dealings, however, there’s a possibility that you could be subject to a federal crime, as Wired reports.
That’s the dilemma Las Vegas resident John Kane and his friend Andre Nestor face in a case that Wired describes as “the latest test of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a 1986 law originally intended to punish hackers who remotely crack defense or banking computers over their 300 baud modems.”
After a series of big payouts, casino clerks wondered just how lucky Kane really was. Eventually, an investigation led to the discovery that the duo exploited a software bug in a video poker machine, which Technocrati explains has opened up a series of legal questions surrounding the definition of hacking.
From Technocrati:
John Kane and Andre Nestor allegedly found the software bug by simply playing the game often, and they chose not to share the exploit with the manufacturer of the video poker machine. Does this qualify as hacking under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act? This question remains unanswered while critics argue that the scope of the law has changed and is being used to prosecute people for the wrong reasons.
If you’re thinking of trying to capitalize on Zynga’s recent foray into online gambling, I’d suggest giving it serious thought; we are in uncharted waters as to just how far up the river the Federal Government wants to send pesky hackers.
Authoritarian Governments Are Using Spy Software
Who would have thought that autocratic government authorities would be using software to ensure that their citizens are being constantly monitored and spied upon? Business Insider is reporting on a new study by the University of Toronto’s research facility known as The Citizen Lab that explains “how the software marketed to track criminals is being used against dissidents and human rights activists.”
According to the story, modern software tools that allow for data mining and real-time monitoring present the perfect ingredients for paranoid governments to watch over people of concern. The study focuses on the software known as FinSpy, which “can remotely monitor webmail and social networks in real time as well as collect encrypted data and communications of unsuspecting targets.”
It should be noted that the Mozilla Foundation has “sent a legal threat” to the makers of FinSpy because the company “disguises this spyware as copies of Firefox, Mozilla's flagship free/open browser,” as BoingBoing reports.
