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Armed FBI agents raid home of researcher who found unsecured patient data

  • 27 May 2016
  • 6 replies
  • 499 views
Dermot7
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by Dan Goodin - May 27, 2016 6:30 pm UTC     
 
 

Prosecutors allegedly say he exceeded authorization in viewing unsecured FTP server.   

 
FBI agents, one armed with an assault weapon, reportedly raided the home of a security professional who discovered sensitive data for 22,000 dental patients was available on the Internet, according to a report published Friday.
Justin Shafer, who is described as a dental computer technician and software security researcher, reportedly said the raid happened on Tuesday at 6:30am as he, his wife, and three young children were sleeping. He said it started when his doorbell rang incessantly and someone banged hard on his door. 
 
http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/05/armed-fbi-agents-raid-home-of-researcher-who-found-unsecured-patent-data/
 

6 replies

Baldrick
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Userlevel 7
LOL...I knew that times were hard but have the FBI only ONE assault weapon to go around on a raid by their agentS...;)
 
No, seriously this sounds like a serious case of over zealousness and heavy handedness on the part of the FBI. :(
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Jasper_The_Rasper
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By Dissent Doe  June 1st 2016
 
What happens when the FBI raids a security researcher? Security researchers stop helping companies fix flaws in their systems.
 
This chilling effect on security researchers was one consequential response over the past week to the news of a recent early-morning FBI raid on Texas dental computer technician Justin Shafer. The report also resulted in an outpouring of anger towards the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the company that has apparently sought to have him charged criminally. 
 
As previously reported on the Daily Dot, Shafer has a history of identifying and reporting vulnerabilities in dental patient management software. Shafer’s research is done on his own time and on his own dime to help improve data security for dental patient data. Some of his past research formed the basis for the Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement action against dental software producer Henry Schein that resulted in a recent settlement.
 
Full Article
 
Baldrick
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Userlevel 7
Well, that approach by the FBI seems to be somewhat stupid to say the least and at best very ill advised...we need all of the security researchers we can find doing what they do best to help comebat the miscreants...no government organisation should be involved in alienating them...IMHO.
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I
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Userlevel 6
It appears more of the company pursuing this then the FBI in a horse and pony show of "making an example", in a attempt to silence the researcher for pointing out their completely lax security protocols, which may have landed them in several lawsuites by trusting patients. Issues as such will later deter researchers with good intetnions from helping, leaving these issues to be discovered by those with less then honorable intentions, and many people effected. It is a shame. 
T
Rank
Userlevel 4
I agree.
Gestapo tactics seem to be the order of the day.
 
Baldrick
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Userlevel 7
I think that it is all a question of degree of approrpiateness, and there in lies the rub as it is a very, very fine line to tread...furthermore I suspect that the FBI (and other security agencies elsewhere) are most likely run off their feet in terms of the volume of data they have to analyse and therefore in proportion of data upon which they feel that they have to act.
 
The net result is that there will be cases like this...which is not to condone the action...but if we do not try to understand the reasons for it we will just decend into a vicious cycle of 'hate'...a 'circular firing squad' so to speak from which we will not emerge...to all our detriments. :(
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