Top German cop uses spyware on daughter, gets hacked in retaliation

Top German cop uses spyware on daughter, gets hacked in retaliation

arstechnica.com

Trojans—they're not just for hackers anymore. German police, for instance, love them; a scandal erupted in Parliament last year after federal investigators were found to be using custom spyware that could potentially record far more information than allowed by law. The story made headlines, but it lacked a certain sense of the bizarre.

Fortunately for connoisseurs of the weird, Der Spiegel revealed a stranger story in its magazine yesterday. According to the report, a top German security official installed a trojan on his own daughter's computer to monitor her Internet usage. What could

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Nothing—well, at least until one of the daughter's friends found the installed spyware. The friend then went after the dad's personal computer as a payback and managed to get in, where he found a cache of security-related e-mails from work. The e-mails, in turn, provided the information necessary for hackers to infiltrate Germany's federal police.

That was bad, but it got worse. The hackers got into the servers for the "Patras" program, which logs location data on suspected criminals through cell phone and car GPS systems. Concerned about security breaches, the government eventually had to take the entire set of Patras servers offline.

So what do you think? Should you been installing malware of your kids pcs? Stealing their logons? This story made me LOL anyways enjoy.

arstechnica.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

tbh the internet can be highly destructive and influential, i cant really blame parents to trying, but there is a moral level of spying that should be adheard to

reply to post by trustnothing


LOL great just great

Parenting .....Fail

*throws smart phone out the mirror
*logs out of ATS

I've been hit with remote software that was set up deliberately. I'm not even sure that they used the internet to install it, but I know my files were all read as specific things went missing.

i would dare to say that you are being negligent if you do not use spyware on your childrens computer...

i am not saying you have to dissect every little thing they do, but you really do need to know what your kids are doing online.

you are still a parent, rather it be real world, or cyber world, the two intersect all the time. bad things come from kids being on the internet for social reasons.
the internet is a powerful tool for EVERYBODY, including people that would get enjoyment from harming children..

i see a problem with the police using spyware...
i see no problem with a parent using it...

keyloggers are GREAT...

Originally posted by trustnothing
So what do you think? Should you been installing malware of your kids pcs? Stealing their logons?

Do whatever you please. Just remember karma is a bitch!

Personally, I treat everyone how I would like them to treat me. I don't make up excuses why they are inferior to me in order to justify me treating them differently. My teenage daughter included.

This article really gave me a chuckle.
I'm so glad that my parents and I respected each other enough that they never needed to spy on me.

I don't know if his daughter did things to make him not trust her, but adding spyware on the computer is not the way to go about things. Technology is going to ruin the natural bond between parents and children -- if it hasn't already.

Originally posted by baphomet420
i would dare to say that you are being negligent if you do not use spyware on your childrens computer...

i am not saying you have to dissect every little thing they do, but you really do need to know what your kids are doing online.

You also don't want their friends and peers to find out you're doing it, either.

Knowing Daddy and Mommy are reading someone's emails from school will set them up for all sorts of pranks...

I guess when someone asks this guy if he'd do this or that, or behave in one way or another AT HOME as badly as he does elsewhere he can honestly stop, look them square in the eye and say 'Yes, I'm a scumbag at home, too!'.

Talk about an example to set for his Daughter.

All I have to say, is if you are going to spy on someone, you better hope you dont have anything youre hiding as well.......

Expect all your skeletons to be blown out of that closet, if you plan on rummaging through someone elses

Originally posted by NuclearPaul

Originally posted by trustnothing
So what do you think? Should you been installing malware of your kids pcs? Stealing their logons?

Do whatever you please. Just remember karma is a bitch!

Personally, I treat everyone how I would like them to treat me. I don't make up excuses why they are inferior to me in order to justify me treating them differently. My teenage daughter included.

I knew there was a reason I like You! I agree.

Like... 100%!

reply to post by ManBehindTheMask


Yup, I like this quote from the story.

One moral of the tale: parents, think hard before taking technical measures against your own kids. There's a better than average chance that they—or their friends—know more than you do.

2 things we don't know that are big factors in if it was acceptable parenting, age of child and childs history.

If she is 18 or over and bought the computer with her own money he is way out of line.

If she is 12 and it's a computer he bought it's prudent parenting.

I'm guessing the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and without knowing her history, criminal activity, drug use, skipping school, etc... it's hard to say without knowing.

Can a minor have certain expectations of privacy while living under their parent's roof?

There are 2 differing schools of thought. Growing up in the late 70's early 80's I had friends with locks on their bedroom doors (and they used them whenever they were in their room) and I had friends whose parent's wouldn't allow a lock. One who had a lock even went so far as to buy a keyed entry lock so he could lock it while he was gone.

I grew up in a house built in 1885, so without the giant keys the bedroom locks didn't work, plus there were transom windows above all the doors and the closets connected to the other bedrooms, so not huge amounts of privacy.

I never felt a need to lock my room, especially once I got a car, I just kept the stuff I didn't want them to find in my car. It wasn't like I had that much to hide, and my folks were not nosey, I was the good child as my sister was out of control.

I would consider this akin to reading a childs diary.

lmao... bloody brilliant.. think its good her friend found it and turned the tables.. well done.
people have a right to privacy that should be respected.

Originally posted by AGWskeptic
If she is 12 and it's a computer he bought it's prudent parenting.

I agree.

I also think it is prudent to tell the child you're monitoring their online activity for their own safety. This way it's not so much spying, but monitoring.

This is exactly what employers do, right? They tell you they will monitor how you use your work computer and you're accountable for how you use it. Why should the child be offered any less honesty that they are also being monitored?

The only problem I have is with calling it spyware and spying, which implies you haven't told the child.

Tell the child about it, just like your employer tells you about it. Then it's not spying, it's monitoring.

Thinking about this some more, what is it teaching our children? That you shouldn't trust anyone? That your own parents aren't going to trust you, so why should anyone else?
What about when they grow up? They'll think it's natural to spy on their kids, their husband/wife, etc.

This is the elite's way as well as the media with all their Big Brother shows to make us believe that it's normal to spy on each other.
Just like when it was acceptable to beat your wife because it was looked at as normal, this is how we'll view spying as well.

Originally posted by mileysubet
Parenting .....Fail

Bzztt...

Keeping tabs on a 12 year old's computer is a parenting PASS, with flying colours!

Unless you happen to be a teenager...????

My boys knows I spy on their computers. When they are 18 they can do whatever they link on their computer but, but until then I am held responsible for their actions. How many parents have had the police, or even a swat team show up at their door because of something their kid did online?
Having their own computer is is a privilege and a responsibility. Use it responsibly or lose the privilege.