**FIRST EMAIL**/Important Reminders

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

FIRST has discovered a number of recent attempts by users to gain unauthorized access to information on the FIRST web site. This can serve as an opportunity for important reminders.

• FIRST exists to change our culture. We try to achieve this by operating according to a different, higher set of principles.
• Actions like hacking, phishing, and unauthorized password use are clear violations of FIRST principles.
• There’s an immediate policy consequence; any individual or team engaging in these activities will forfeit the privilege to compete at any FIRST event for the season.

And there's a long term, most important consequence; engaging in these activities prevents you, your team, and FIRST from becoming what we're all capable of.

Go Teams!

[Uberbots]

Hacking the FIRST website? thats low... really low...

[smurfgirl]

This is a recent activity? I'm wondering what it is that people are so interested in now that they would actually try to hack the FIRST Website. It seems like with Kickoff seemingly ages ago, and week 5 regionals just around the corner, there aren't really any FIRST secrets that we're waiting on. I hope no one is trying to sabotage FIRST.

[Tapoore]

Originally Posted by smurfgirl

This is a recent activity? I'm wondering what it is that people are so interested in now that they would actually try to hack the FIRST Website. It seems like with Kickoff seemingly ages ago, and week 5 regionals just around the corner, there aren't really any FIRST secrets that we're waiting on. I hope no one is trying to sabotage FIRST.

Maybe the new control system?

[Chrisms]

Originally Posted by Tapoore

Maybe the new control system?

anyone smart enough to begin to attempt to hack FIRST would be smart enough to know that it's highly unlikely there are any "hidden" pages that have this data. I mean, if someone were trying to hack dean's email, then i could understand that... but i doubt he keeps his personal email on a server in the public eye like FIRST's.

there's no reason for this except kids trying to have fun... and or kids trying to deface the site. both cases i dont understand.

[Akash Rastogi]

To add to what Chris said, there really is no point in hacking the site. Maybe it was for fun or maybe it was to find out something. Either way...not cool. If someone was trying to find out what divisions have what teams...its pointless until regionals are over anyway.



*Points blame finger in programmers' direction* (hehe j/k )

[Andrew Bates]

So what actually happened? Any details?

[Uberbots]

Originally Posted by corpralchee

So what actually happened? Any details?

Well considering that the perpetrators now have to live with the fact that they cost their team the chance to compete, id expect that FIRST isnt going to punish them any more by releasing their actions to the public.

[Qbranch]

Maybe someone was looking for a sharholder's/financial report on FIRST?

Just playing devil's advocate, but if a genie came and said "And what information about FIRST would you like to know?" I'd like to know which way the cash flows.

When you work the numbers out... the income FIRST has is staggering... remember, when you go to a regional, not only do you (as a team) pay to go there, the site pays FIRST to have the regional there as well...

-q

[Chaos204]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

Maybe someone was looking for a sharholder's/financial report on FIRST?

Just playing devil's advocate, but if a genie came and said "And what information about FIRST would you like to know?" I'd like to know which way the cash flows.

When you work the numbers out... the income FIRST has is staggering... remember, when you go to a regional, not only do you (as a team) pay to go there, the site pays FIRST to have the regional there as well...

-q

I agree that there is a lot of money going into each regional ~4000 per team but what makes you think the venue pays FIRST (sorry if it is changing the subject) If anything the venue may be donated.

I don't know or have any actual information just speculation.
I also don't know specifics about what actually happened but we are supposed to be bigger than this. Which worries me that it possibly wasn't one of us.

[Qbranch]

Originally Posted by Chaos204

I agree that there is a lot of money going into each regional ~4000 per team but what makes you think the venue pays FIRST (sorry if it is changing the subject) If anything the venue may be donated.

I don't know or have any actual information just speculation.
I also don't know specifics about what actually happened but we are supposed to be bigger than this. Which worries me that it possibly wasn't one of us.

I asked the University of Illinois.

I'm amazed that somebody would try to hack FIRST too... but I won't say the ability isn't there.

-q

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

I'm amazed that somebody would try to hack FIRST too.

-q

Are you honestly that surprised?? We're engineers/programmers/electricians/intelligent people. While I don't condone the activity, I am not surprised someone tried it in the least.

[Tom Line]

Careful guys.

There is, at this time, absolutely no proof that these "users" were FRC users. In fact, one of the most common hacking / phishing methods is to install a trojan / rootkit / backdoor on someone's machine, and thus gain access to their email and saved passwords. Then, by going through that same person's machine, not only do you have their passwords, but you appear to be "them".

Anyone who has run an FTP or email server knows that you literally get thousands of port probes and password-generator hits per hour. In the past I've had people trying to hack in from Air Force computers in Nevada. Of course I have no doubt it wasn't them - some office schmoe simply allowed his computer to be compromised.

Let's not jump the gone and start looking at First teams. This could have been anyone, and First certainly isn't going to say one way or the other.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

Maybe someone was looking for a sharholder's/financial report on FIRST?

Just playing devil's advocate, but if a genie came and said "And what information about FIRST would you like to know?" I'd like to know which way the cash flows.

When you work the numbers out... the income FIRST has is staggering... remember, when you go to a regional, not only do you (as a team) pay to go there, the site pays FIRST to have the regional there as well...

-q

FIRST's annual reports are not hidden. Starting in 2007 they also published audited financials. Look here.

[dez250]

I guess im going to be a genie today.

Originally Posted by Qbranch

Maybe someone was looking for a sharholder's/financial report on FIRST?

When you work the numbers out... the income FIRST has is staggering... remember, when you go to a regional, not only do you (as a team) pay to go there, the site pays FIRST to have the regional there as well...

-q

You mean someone would try to "hack" a site for some publically available information. Also i would double check your facts on "the site pays FIRST to have the regional there". For i would think this may mean they help finance the regional's costs, because as many know, an FRC regional event is not a cheap event to host.

(Sorry if this went OT)