[GuB-42]

I think that it is a bit far fetched here but where do you draw the line between what is an intrusion and what is not?

To continue with the prosecutor analogy of the lock, having a shitty lock doesn't allow others to enter your house, but what if there is no lock, and what if the door is wide open? If you write "do not look" on top of your source code, can you prosecute someone who looked at it? If not, can you open a package marked "for Alice" if you are Bob, even if it is unsecured.

For computer security, what is punishable? Obviously, using exploits and installing rootkits is, but what about deciphering weakly encrypted streams, what about accessing "secret" urls that do not have access control, what about probing undocumented APIs.

For me, it is just the prosecutor doing his job of accusation, maybe poorly, I don't know, but if there is a trial, there will be a defense attorney, and a judge, and hopefully a reasonable verdict.

[Buttons840]

Intent matters most. If the reporter had compiled a list of every teacher and their personal information by doing nothing more than "View Source", that would be a crime.

If a researcher breaks a few ciphers, and makes no effort to store the plaintext, and reports the flaw, that not a crime.

[BeetleB]

As mentioned in another thread, the lock analogy/trespassing analogy makes no sense here.

This is a case of A requesting something from B, and B giving A stuff they shouldn't have, and prosecuting A for noticing it.

At no point did the journalist go into anyone's property/territory. The site simply handed out the confidential stuff.

[smhenderson]

The article stated that the prosecutor hasn't commented on any of this yet. Everything you're attributing to the prosecutor was said by Parsons. I'm assuming the prosecutor hasn't commented because he's embarrassed to be dragged into the whole ordeal.

I get that's not the point of your comment but I refuse to even acknowledge that using HTTP as intended without feeding a server a malicious request can ever be considered a crime.

The only crime here is the negligence on the part of the Missouri government and the obvious abuse of power being displayed by Parsons after the fact.