Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Wow, not the 'concerned citizen' I expected
Sometimes I see the headline and my blogging bias-detection instincts kick in so strongly I can almost write the scathing post without reading the actual article -- almost:
So I couldn't write the media-bias post I intended. It's also nice, once in a while, to write a feel-good piece... wait a second... what's this? There's one more line to the article? Let me see that...
At least the natural order has been restored. I feel better.
If you really, really liked this -- or even really, really hated it -- there's lots more:
Oh yeah, I'm sure Yahoo and AFP are just loving this Israeli "concerned citizen" who had the chutzpah to shut down the army's anti-rocket hotline. We wouldn't want that nasty Israeli army hotline stopping the rocket fire of the... wait a second... what's this? There's more to the article? Let me see that...
Headline: Concerned citizen hacks Israeli army's 'rocket hotline'
A concerned Israeli has thwarted the army's latest anti-militant initiative by hacking its 'rocket hotline' set up so that Palestinians in Gaza can rat on those firing projectiles at Israel, the Yediot Aharonot daily reported.
Ok, ok. Apparently this 'concerned citizen' really was an actual Concerned Citizen. Great job whoever you are!
But within hours, soldiers monitoring the 'rocket hotline' found they couldn't access their voicemail after a concerned citizen hacked the system and changed the access codes.
It appears the officials within the army's unit for State of Mind Operations, had forgotten to change the default code to access the voicemail system, making it an easy target for anyone curious to listen in.
"I changed the code because I didn't want the terror organisations to listen to the messages because at the beginning of every message, the voicemail system cites the phone number from which it was received," the concerned hacker told the paper.
"I was afraid the terrorists would be able to identify the callers and would try to hurt them."
So I couldn't write the media-bias post I intended. It's also nice, once in a while, to write a feel-good piece... wait a second... what's this? There's one more line to the article? Let me see that...
So they couldn't resist taking a parting poke at the nasty old Israeli army after all! Bastards.
Red-faced military officials are still waiting for the hacker to give them the new access codes.
At least the natural order has been restored. I feel better.
