You Got Pwn3d

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Other Guys' Problems

(AP / CBS)

Schadenfreude alert! On Friday, a woman identified as Dateline NBC's Michelle Madigan was outed at Defcon, an "Underground Hackers Convention" taking place in Las Vegas. Madigan, who "had a camera in a small black bag that allowed her to surreptitiously video tape people attending the show," reportedly "hoped to tape people admitting to breaking the law and then attempt to tie them to federal agents who also attended the show."

But Defcon founder Jeff Moss identified her -- making quite the show of it -- from the stage, in front of hundreds of convention-goers. As Madigan was escorted out of the conference to her car, some of them, along with some of the convention's credentialed journalists, followed. They took video of her, shouted questions, and, in some cases, heckled her. And yes, there were "To Catch A Predator" jokes.

Video of what went down is up on YouTube, and I encourage you to check it out before deciding where your sympathies lie. I've had my problems with Dateline in the past, and I'm not a fan of what they tried to pull off here – the hidden camera expose, like the anonymous source, is a journalistic tool that should only be used responsibly. And showing up at Defcon with a camera in your bag, hoping to get some hacker to say something incriminating, is a cheap tactic unlikely to yield anything more than sensationalistic images that don't do justice to the nuances of the story. There are times when going undercover is justifiable --unlike my colleague, I think this is one of them -- but I don't think that this attempt comes close to qualifying.

That said, those hackers sure are tough to sympathize with, aren't they? Watch the video if you haven't yet – the triumphalism on display doesn't exactly make you want to rally to the hackers' defense. The whole thing has this "burn the witch!" vibe, in fact, that makes you feel like you're watching grainy cell-phone footage from Salem, Massachusetts. The comments section on the video, somewhat surprisingly, is divided between those cheering the hecklers on and those criticizing them for going after a producer who was just "doing her job."

"Tar and feathers would have been appropriate. She got off easy," writes one commenter. Says another: "So let me get this straight, this reporter went under cover to a convention where scumbags learn how to hack computers and destroy peoples lives....and she's the bad person?" It looks like we might actually have found a group of people the public thinks as little of as they do journalists. "Hackers and reporters," concludes one commenter, "they're just as bad."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by NavionPilot August 8, 2007 1:02 PM EDT: Really, sending a someone into get footage of people who are paranoid by profession ranks right up there with, hey lets pet the great white shark.

I have been to Def Con many times and can tell you it is mostly white hats. There may be a few black hats around however; they are few and not very welcome.

This is an environment where people (most with six figure incomes) get together and discuss how to break what is believed to be secure. By doing this, we are able to improve the security of systems so you can go online to pay your bills. You can lock your door with the latest lock and feel secure that you and your money is safe.

We are living in a world where we are worried about identity theft, who is reading our emails and by giving out my credit card number; did I just expose myself to fraud.

If "Dateline" or another news organizations wants to get the goods on hackers, head over to eastern Europe or Asia. Most of the attacks we defend against originate there.

-Rob; Reply to this comment


by sproutter August 7, 2007 4:54 AM EDT: Whoops, my mistake, it wasn't the person with the first post I meant to insult, but the person who posted immediately before me. Sorry hhkeller.

And hypnotoad, these "losers" you're talking about have an average income approaching $100K. Many are millionaires. A few are worth much more that that. Not that it makes them anything other than rich, but slack-jawed frat boys such as yourself tend not to make the distinction between wealth and success, so I'm a bit puzzled by your choice of that particular word.; Reply to this comment


by sproutter August 7, 2007 4:48 AM EDT: There's a little ignorance here in the comments, and I'd like to address it. You see, I was present at this year's Defcon, and have attended 6 of the last 9 years. I was there because my employer, a Fortune 1000 security company that everyone who reads this uses nearly every time they buy something online, sent me there. They sent me there because hackers, contrary to hysterical nonsense that pervades popular perception, are almost all law-abiding security enthusiasts or professionals that dedicate their lives to understanding security and improving all our collective experience on the Internet. A great many of the attendees are undercover federal agents, there, like everyone else, to learn. If a conference such as Defcon is to develop an environment where these people can meet together and speak openly about security issues they face, they need to be able to assure, for example, an undercover FBI, CIA or NSA agent that he will not appear on the nightly news without his consent. Its a private event, and they should set the rules as they need to.

Lastly, this is NOT a convention of criminals or "losers" as the troglodyte with the first post so eloquently described them. Those elements do exist, but are not center stage or well-tolerated. It is, in fact, one of the premier information security conferences in the world, and a great deal of what security we all do enjoy today would not have existed if not for Defcon.; Reply to this comment


by hypnotoad72 August 6, 2007 8:22 PM EDT: Pity she got caught. Hackers aren't nerds. They're losers.

And if the reporter kept telling the losers to get laid, why didn't she lend a helping hand - personally? I do so dislike it when people offer suggestions but then don't bother to offer tips or even do the civilized then and chip in with some of the effort...; Reply to this comment


by hhkeller August 6, 2007 7:07 PM EDT: NBC's Michelle Madigan can now get a job with Alberto Gonzalez. What college did she attend?
NBC's creating the criminal game has probably gone a bit too far. NBC should stick to reporting crimes instead of becoming criminal themselve by infinging on basic civil rights.; Reply to this comment


by memekiller August 6, 2007 5:50 PM EDT: You've been finding some gems lately.

It doesn't bother me that she tried to get footage of hackers, and it doesn't surprise me that they reacted this way. You can't be the paparazzi without getting a few cameras smashed.

This is the key line, though: "the hidden camera expose, like the anonymous source, is a journalistic tool that should only be used responsibly."

People have no problem with the CIA lying or pretending to be someone, or bribing or, frankly torturing people if they feel they're doing a service. They don't care if narcs lie. They protect us and make bad people pay. Journalism is meant to provide the same service, yet people are apalled when you use these same tactics because people think they are only used to snap pictures of Angelina Jolie's baby.

I have always been a strong supporter of a shield law until Judith Miller, when it became clear the anonymous source was being misused and doing the opposite of what it was intended to do: giving cover to power players so they could punish whistleblowers.

If you want people to support these special privledges, then they have to feel you are providing an important service. People don't feel that way today.; Reply to this comment