BLOGGED BY Brad Friedman ON 5/2/2008
6:05AM
6:05AM
Where 'Last Ninja II' Was Cracked in Minutes, Warez
Like 'Diebold GEMS/Accuvote' Will Surely Confound an Infamous Pirate Like
'Strider,' Right?
Like 'Diebold GEMS/Accuvote' Will Surely Confound an Infamous Pirate Like
'Strider,' Right?
Any job applicant knows that background checks are routine –
especially for jobs involving authority or oversight of money. So why didn’t the
San Diego Republican Party do a simple Google search before naming Tony Krvaric
as its chairman?
especially for jobs involving authority or oversight of money. So why didn’t the
San Diego Republican Party do a simple Google search before naming Tony Krvaric
as its chairman?
...Or did they?...
Online research reveals that Krvaric is the co-founder of
Fairlight, a band of software crackers which later evolved into an international
video and software piracy group that law enforcement authorities say is among
the world’s largest such crime rings.
Fairlight, a band of software crackers which later evolved into an international
video and software piracy group that law enforcement authorities say is among
the world’s largest such crime rings.
...Well, go figure.

there in, of all places, San Diego, where the far-right Republican Board of Supes,
and the far-right Republican Registrar of Voters office, have never met a hackable Diebold electronic voting
system they didn't love.
I recall "Strider" (Krvaric) and the "Fairlight" boyz from my own C-64 and
BBS "warez" swapping days in the late 80's. Those guys, and the other
incredibly competitive pirate crews, could crack anything, anytime,
usually within minutes after a new piece of software hit the market (and
often, even before it did!).
But no doubt, the air-tight, mission-critical, impenetrable security in Diebold's voting systems
would be beyond the reach of d00dz like Strider and friends. And, of course,
there's far more to gain by a 17-year-old "Strider" cracking
the codes of, say, International Karate Plus and Shoot 'em Up
Construction Kit than there ever would be for him, as county GOP chair, to
hack an election in San Diego, right? I mean, what would possibly be
the upside to that?
Miriam Raftery's excellent two-part investigative exclusive for RAW STORY
(and for me, at least, a trip down memory lane) is here
(Part 1) and here
(Part 2).
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Drive! Please
Drive! Please