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Misconfigured Webserver, Threats to Call FBI
Posted by
Hemos
on Mon Mar 27, 2006 09:23 AM
from the all-in-a-morning's-work dept.
from the all-in-a-morning's-work dept.
the_harlequin writes "The Register is reporting that a city manager threatened to call the FBI over a misconfigured webserver. From the article: "The heartland turned vicious this week when an Oklahoma town threatened to call in the FBI because its web site was hacked by Linux maker CentOS. Problem is CentOS didn't hack Tuttle's web site at all. The city's hosting provider had simply botched a web server."
"
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Slashback: Vista Rewrite, Tuttle Travesty, Mac Botnets 269 comments
Slashback tonight brings some corrections, clarifications, and updates to previous Slashdot stories including Microsoft denies Vista rewrite, Tuttle Oklahoma city manager still doesn't get it, MS Virtual Server slips and VMWare fills the gap, Samsung execs plead guilty to price fixing charges, Tux in retail part 2, a renewed bid to register the Linux trademark in Australia, OpenSPARC.net shades of the past, and a follow up on Mac botnets -- Read on for details.
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Re:Law Suit! (Score:5, Informative)
(http://jaduncan.net/)
Re:Law Suit! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://slashdot.org/Ihaveone.Askme. | Last Journal: Thursday June 03 2004, @02:37PM)
!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.servergrade.com.au/)
He forgot the 1s but the tilda was creative.
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.veryshortpier.com/)
The tilde was quite creative too.
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
"I am computer literate! I have 22 years in computer systems engineering and operation. Now, can you tell me how to remove 'your software' that you acknowledge you provided free of charge? I consider this 'hacking.'"
22 years in systems engineering, but he hasn't got a clue as to how web sites operate. This guy epitomizes problems we all see every day: Incompetents who don't recognize their own incompetence. Then he compounds it by being an arrogant bastard and an overbearing, threatening weenie to boot.
Nice.
And these are the kinds of jackasses we ELECT to have power over us.
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:4, Funny)
(http://www.landroval.net/)
Blood AND Marriage surely
Interesting study on incompetence (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.floridacaves.com/)
Re:Interesting study on incompetence (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://uspoliticsandelections.blogspot.com/)
No, it's not.
Re:Interesting study on incompetence (Score:5, Informative)
(http://mclarenhome.com/~dougmc/)
In any event, my favorite example for when talking about this sort of thing is this --
In case an explanation is required (it shouldn't be, but some need one), most people have two legs. A few people have one or zero legs, but nobody that I'm aware of has three legs (we'll leave that joke alone) so the average (mean) number of legs that people have is 1.98 or so, and most people have more legs than that. The median and the mode are both 2, but the average is 1.98 or so.
Ultimately, not everything has a nice Gaussian distribution [wikipedia.org].
And as for `incompetent, and unaware of it', I'd consider those results to be pretty much common sense, or at least they mirror my experiences. One thing I've learned over the years is that it's not always about what you know -- it's also about what you do when you don't know (know how to look it up!) and most importantly, to know when you don't know. It's true that most of the really smart people I know know lots of things, but they also know what they don't know.
As for Jerry Taylor, I can understand him not understanding the message he found on the web page. Yes, it's there in relatively plain English, but people do make mistakes. But really, if somebody responds to you politely and points out that they're not to blame and that somebody else is, perhaps you should at least consider that they might be telling the truth and check into that before continuing the tirade. And his `apology' (I use the term lightly here) at the end (the site is down, but I read it earlier ... it was `it's unfortunate that it took all these accusations to get to the truth' or
something like that) ... if there was ever any doubt before, it tells us a lot about how Jerry responds to people who point out his mistakes. Jerry may have welcomed the publicity then, but I doubt he does now. I wonder if he even has a job anymore.
Re:Interesting study on incompetence (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Funny)
(Last Journal: Friday February 10 2006, @02:51PM)
I doubt we all visit Slashdot every day.
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:4, Funny)
(over the phone)
User: My password doesn't work!
Me: Is the capslock on?
User: No.
Me: Are you sure? Please check and make sure it isn't on.
User: It's not on.
Me: I'll be right over
Me: You're capslock is on.
Or this:
(over the phone)
User: The server is down. Come over here and fix it.
Me: Let me check
Me: Everything looks fine.
User: No it's not. The server is down.
Me: Can you be more specific? What can't you access?
User: The server. Fix it.
Me: I'll be right over.
User: See, it won't come up. Fix it.
(The problem? The user is trying to access some website that isn't responding. Somehow I'm responsible for every server on the Internet...)
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Funny)
I was contracted to help a new guy learn the ropes in his new job as "engineer." One day he called and complained that his mouse didn't work. I asked a few questions to get a hint what it was or wasn't doing, expecting it to be unplugged, dirty or just plain broke. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, and I finally asked, "OK, what is it doing that makes you say it's not working?" He answered, "It just doesn't work right."
I offered to make the hour drive at my usual rate, and he agreed. I went to his office and asked him to show me what was wrong. He was holding the mouse SIDEWAYS, so every time he moved it, the cursor went 90 degrees from the direction he wanted, and he said, "See? It doesn't work right."
I thought to myself, "Hunh, I didn't think to ask THAT one, so much for the 'intuitive interface," turned the mouse, said "Now try it."
Yes, it does sound too bizarre to be true, but remember... it was in Oklahoma.
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:4, Funny)
User: My computer won't come on.
me: Did you plug it in?
User: Yes.
Me: What happens when you turn on the computer.
User: It makes a weird sound
Me: I better come over and take a look.
I go over and turn the monitor on for her. The weird sound was the hard drive turning on and the initial beep.
Customer Service stories (Score:4, Funny)
some of my favourite - it really happened to me - IT customer service stories.
I spent a year or so working in a retail computer outlet in a large discout chain (I blame Apple for this, it was during their flirtation with selling Apples through non-reseller chains). It was during the same period that IBM compatibles changed from 5.25" to 3.5" floppy drives. I had a customer come in and buy a new 3.5" drive one afternoon. The following day they came back with the drive asking for a replacement, as it was clearly faulty. They complained that they had installed in into thier computer and tried to use their exisiting disks in it and none had worked. After further enquiy, it turned out that they had found their 5.25" disks had not fitted in the drive, so they had cut them down with a pair of scissors to make them fit, having done so, they found the new drive incapable to read them.
Same place, different customer. Came in wanting a warranty replacement on their new keyboard, it was giving erratic multi-keystroke responses. The keyboard was bent with a tire track across it.
Same place, yet another customer. Sold them a new PC with a fax modem as one of the items on the component list. The following weekend they came back into the store to find me. They had a question, could I perhaps show them on the floor demonstration unit where to load the fax paper.
Same place (I hated the place with a vengence), different customer. Came in with their brand new Apple Powerbook demanading a warranty replacement. It was a PB 180 (I think) with the grey rectangular power brick adaptor. The computer had shorted out and they demended that Apple replace it. The AC adaptor no longer had the block transformer on the end of the cable, instread it had a standard 3 pin plug on the end. When asked why this was the case, they said that the block had not fitted to the powerpoint on thier skirting board, so they had cut it off (the transformer) and installed the new plug on the end of the cable. They could now understand why I refused to process the claim as a warranty issue.
Different place, different customer. Was asked to do an insurance assessment on repairing a computer which had been sprayed with a chemical fire extinguisher some weeks earlier, it had not been cleaned in the interim...
I've got dozens more, but they're my favourites. So glad I don't do retail any more.
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:4, Funny)
(http://alive.dienub.org/)
Untill the end of December '05 I worked for this small company. My boss was one of those people who think they are absolutely never wrong, and bend their own statements if they are proved definitively wrong. He knows absolutely nothing about computers. Once, this happened:
Him: I have a virus. Why do I have virus? You're the worst IT-man this company has ever had.
Me: You dont have a virus. That's impossible per definition. Wanna bet $100?
Me: So, uh. Where is the virus?
Him: [enters a website URL. Clicks a link, get's a website that says "YOU HAVE A VIRUS!"
At least I got $100...
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:MSCE strikes again (Score:5, Informative)
Re:!!!!~11111!!! (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.milksucks.com/ | Last Journal: Monday September 15 2003, @12:30PM)
http://www.phule.net/mirrors/unskilled-and-unawar
Yet another Oklahoma Joke (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Yet another Oklahoma Joke (Score:4, Funny)
This just confirms what we Texans have known for years...(ducking for cover).
You really have to worry about a place that feels it needs to reassure people that 'Oklahoma is OK'.
oh man.. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.scenepointblank.com/)
That's nothing (Score:5, Funny)
(http://evil.google.com/)
Re:That's nothing (Score:5, Funny)
(http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Thursday September 19 2002, @04:41PM)
Non sequitur (Score:5, Funny)
HAX (Score:5, Funny)
(http://bega.deviantart.com/ | Last Journal: Friday August 13 2004, @02:05AM)
I wonder how long it'll take him (Score:5, Funny)
...to complain about a DDOS attack. Behold, the power of Slashdot!
Re:I wonder how long it'll take him (Score:4, Informative)
mayor@CityofTuttle.org [mailto]
Let's all have some fun with this
It probably was Buttle... (Score:5, Funny)
"I welcome this publicity" (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.fundraw.com/ | Last Journal: Friday October 26, @03:42AM)
After reading through the exchange on the CentOS site [centos.org], I think he's going to regret making that statement. Normally, a dunderhead bureaucrat like this would try to sue or claim these e-mails shouldn't have been made public, but with this little statement on file...
I'd call the guy a "dumbass", but he's not necessarily stupid, just ignorant and bullheaded. Of course, ignorant and bullheaded do a very good impersonation of stupid when combined.
- Greg
Re:"I welcome this publicity" (Score:4, Insightful)
The press is his town might not be savvy enough to understand what he did.
Well Tuttle, OK *IS* a major terrorist target (Score:5, Funny)
-Eric
He tried emailing the FBI... (Score:5, Funny)
Can you imagine? [slashdot.org]
The PHB in question (Score:5, Informative)
(http://firsttube.com/)
So... here's his info: City Manager Jerry A. Taylor [tuttle-ok.gov], and his email address: citymgr@cityoftuttle.org [mailto].
Note that I am not "exposing" anything, all of this info comes directly from the publically available cityoftuttle.org website.
PS. I can't believe we fried centos.org but not cityoftuttle.org.
Re:The PHB in question (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.timewarp.org/ | Last Journal: Monday September 30 2002, @08:49AM)
--
Evan
Yelling!!!! (Score:5, Informative)
Tuttle? (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.microcar.org/)
Help entertain the tech community (Score:5, Funny)
(http://jamiegordon.net/)
Subject: Need your help in entertaining the tech community
Jerry,
I understand that you have 22 years of experience computer systems engineering and operation are are computer literate. I need your help in entertaining the Internet technical community.
I think it would be hilarious if we loaded the default page on on a web server for the city (one with instructions on how to fix the problem) and then complained about it to the the maker of the operating system. Yuk, yuk! We can even (get this) whine that all the computers in the building show the same default page when you surf to the site. Bwaaahhhaaahhhaaa! Then (I can hardly contain myself) let's accuse the poor saps of hacking our server and threaten to call the FBI!!! Teeehhheeehhheeee!
Oh, oh, my sides hurt. This is going to be great. You setup the server and I'll.... Oh, I'm just reading slashdot and see that you already done it. Well, I guess you thought of it before me. Good one.
comic sans (Score:5, Insightful)
Charge the city for technical support (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.liquidcs.com/)
to contact@tuttletimes.com (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.david-reitter.com/)
have you seen this one?
The world seems to be laughing about your city administration...
http://www.centos.org/modules/news/article.php?st
Cheers
Dave
respect and dignity (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.cognitive-dissonance.org/)
Re:respect and dignity (Score:4, Insightful)
If that man was merely deficient in his understanding of the situation, I would cringe at the state of civic appointments but would heed your advice and remain civil and polite towards him, as I would in most cases in my professional dealings, preserving the decorum of the conversation. That is because such decorum is what makes inter-personal interactions civil, friendly and as a result allows us to correct someone's gaps in education without insulting him.
Unfortunately, Mr. Butthead chose to go ape at the first opportunity, displaying his obtuse arrogance and ample ill will, not to mention lack of any decorum to the point that any pretense of civility never existed. Add to this the insulting and egomaniac "apology", which seeks to blame everyone else for his wretched personality, combine this with his civil-servant status, and we have a situation where civic action, publicity and frankly, total destruction of his credibility in the public's eye is the only decent course of action.
Although it is frequently not so, this case has nothing to do with our, Linux users's, attitudes and everything to do with his.
I thought I had seen him before.. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.loconet.ca/)
What are they talking about? (Score:5, Funny)
Aw, C'mon guys... (Score:3, Funny)
Come to think of it, why doesn't every one do that?
Reading between the lines. (Score:3, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:31PM)
It occurs to me that very few people who have had 22 years of computer systems experience would merely refer to themselves as "computer literate". It would be more likely that such a person with the claimed amount of experience would have asserted instead that he "knows what he's talking about", followed by the proclaimation announcing his years of experience. "Computer literate", ironically, is generally only used as a self-label by people who still don't *REALLY* know how their computer works. At least as far as I've seen.
I expect, more likely, that has had had 22 years of experience of MANAGEMENT in the field, but not the actual hands-on stuff.
(Threats of calling the FBI aside, he reminds me for some reason of the pointy-haired boss guy in Dilbert).
Let's have a moment of silence ... (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://foo.ewu.edu/ | Last Journal: Monday June 18, @12:43PM)
With luck they will not be someone who reports to this fool, but one way or another they'll probably feel the heat more than necessary. There are few things more frightening in a workplace than a fool who is shown up to be a fool. His retribution is likely to be epic.
Computer *literacy* (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3675.html)
Um, sir, I don't think 'computer literacy' refers merely to the ability to read text on computers...
Too much patience (Score:3, Funny)
Then I would have posted it on slashdot while the error page was still up for additional comic relief
Also happens on the web daemon side (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://to.contact.me/reply.to.my.comment)
Say it with me: Tel-e-phone (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.dreamhost.com/r.cgi?39901 | Last Journal: Tuesday August 03 2004, @11:07PM)
My letter to the mayor (Score:3, Interesting)
I am writing to formally complain about the abusive behavior of Mr. Jerry A. Taylor, one of your highest profile City Managers. As of this morning's publication of an Information Technology news service titled Slashdot (see links below), I can assure you that he (and, by association, your town of Tuttle, Oklahoma) is the topic of derisive conversations throughout the entire computing systems world. Quite frankly, Mr. Taylor's alleged "22 years in computer systems engineering and operation," his unwillingness to consider the advice of professional peers, his inability to comprehend simple systems documentation, and his hair-trigger willingness to contact the FBI whenever your town suffers WEB server configuration issues, cast great doubts in regard to both Tuttle's IT infrastructure, as well as your town's slogan: "The Place Where People Grow Up - Friendly!" This is very bad publicity, Mr. Paxton. Until this morning, it's true that hardly anyone outside of Oklahoma knew where Tuttle even was. However, now millions of people know about Tuttle for all the wrong reasons. As a consequence, I am only half joking when I state that I would hardly be surprised to see your town spoofed without mercy on an upcoming episode of The Daily Show, for example. This is THAT big an issue.
In any event, I must commend the representative from CentOS.org, Mr. Johnny Hughes. Time and time again, as Mr. Taylor become increasingly impossible to deal with, as Mr. Taylor's words became more and more threatening (at one point, Mr. Taylor went so far as to report that "I have no fear of the media, in fact I welcome this publicity" - a statement which I believe he will soon regret, if he doesn't already), Mr. Hughes remained both patient and calm and did everything he could -- and I can't state this with enough emphasis, even though this was clearly neither an issue with CentOS.org, nor Mr. Hughes -- to help resolve Mr. Taylor's problem.
I use CentOS on a daily basis and I am positively grateful for the philanthropic efforts of this superhuman organization. I am extremely disappointed with your office because Mr. Hughes clearly did not deserve Mr. Taylor's unmindful harassment. To resolve this injustice, at the very least, I encourage you to prevail upon Mr. Taylor to publicly acknowledge an admission of discourtesy toward both CentOS.org and Mr. Hughes himself, accompanied by a written expression of regret. Your town should consider itself fortunate that CentOS.org, to date, has not issued you an invoice for payment of software technical support.
Thanks very much for your attention. I sincerely wish that we could be communicating under much more favorable conditions.
For your reference, here are some links referred to earlier:
Original story posted on Slashdot:
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/27
What is Slashdot and how large is it's following in the world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slashdot [wikipedia.org]
CentOS's coverage of the abuse:
http://wwwf.centos.org/127_story.html?storyid=127 [centos.org]
What CentOS is:
http://www.centos.org/modules/tinycontent/index.p
What LINUX is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux [wikipedia.org]
Yours Sincerely,
Re:the price of ignorance (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This is wrong! (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://firsttube.com/)
I would argue that this furthers the cause significantly, and as an aside, encourages towns to take IT seriously.
Re:tell this inbred bozo what you think of him (Score:3, Informative)
(Last Journal: Friday December 01 2006, @10:51AM)