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Prosecutors suspect man hacked lottery computers to score winning ticket (arstechnica.com)
28 points by batguano on April 14, 2015 | hide | past | favorite | 9 comments



>> The former security director "was 'obsessed' with root kits, a type of computer program that can be installed quickly, set to do just about anything, and then self-destruct without a trace,"

Probably just about the worst description of what a root kit is...


I think is is pretty interesting that the human element is what caused this guy to get caught. bragging about having a rootkit and buying the ticket himself seems like something he should have known better than to do.


Lots of ideas of how he could have cheated the system.

Video filming slowly. Him talking about root kit.

There's a video of a person that may be him buying the winner lotto.

They still have to prove it and I'm not entirely sure if this is clear cut with the jury. If this is all they have.

If they had proof that the machine was tamper with... then would be much better. Or the Belize corp that claiming the ticket is connected to him some how.


The bit about the rootkits proves little -- would he be qualified for his job if he WEREN'T interested in hacking?

The rest, however, seems like enough to convict him in the court of public opinion, including my opinion.

Whether he should be convicted under the high standards of proof that prevail in a court of a law depends upon details not captured in the article.


Lotteries probably shouldn't be open to corporations.


The article does not address what I consider to be one of the most confusing elements of this story:

> as an employee of the association that administered the lottery, he was barred by law from buying lotto tickets or claiming lottery prizes

As the head of computer security for the state lottery association, he was surely aware that his position precluded him from being able to win the lottery. Why did he buy the ticket, then?


the remainder of the paragraph you have quoted from explains it.


It was a piss poor system if all he did was "change the time"


He didn't attack the system by changing the time. His excuse to be in the room was to change the time. To attack the system he actually installed a root kit.




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