> It is fun to read http://www.msnbc.com/msn/361936.asp especially at
> the end, because if "This isn't even small potatoes; it's no more
> than sprouts." -- then, while the hassle, prison and fine?
Well, he did try to extort money from the banks. I think this was
really the problem with what he did - if he'd just been trying to
help, why did he go to such trouble? I'm not saying he had a
criminal intention to steal, but extortion is bad news too...
Calling it "compensation for his effort in discovering the problem" is
silly, since the banks didn't ask him to make this effort, and may
well already have been aware of the potential vulnerability.
Amateurs in the crypto world seem to get bitten by this fairly
frequently - read the recent transcripts to the New York preliminary
injunction on the DeCSS case for supporting evidence. If you're out
to prove a point, and you're riding the fine edge of legality and
civil disobedience in doing it, it helps to make sure that you keep
your nose clean and stay focused on what you're really trying to do,
rather than, e.g., venting your anger or trying to get people who
didn't ask you to help them to pay for your "help."
_MelloN_
