Boston Perl Monger Plays With the Big Leagues 71
babbage writes "Chris Nandor tried to help out the Red Sox by stuffing the MLB All Star Ballot. Baseball says they were on to him all along. He says he'll be back
next year. " Ah, yes, that wonderful point where sports and computer connect, probably sans changing IPs, but with the mis-use of "hacker".
Minor League Ball (Score:1)
A bettter way to stuff the ballott box (Score:1)
A much better way to stuff the ballot box would have been to get the perl script posted to slashdot. ;-) That way every slashddot reader could easily and legitimately "stuff" the box 22 times.
This is assuming, of course, that the ballot stuffing detection software is looking at IP addresses. I wonder what they do about proxies, though. Obviously, they must have some support for proxies, otherwise ALL of the AOL users could only vote 22 times the number of AOL web proxies.
I wonder if we simply mined one of the on-line phone books for valid name/address/phone #s if that would be enough to spoof the system.
How much time is left to vote?
Re:Heh... (Score:1)
All true geeks (and their perl scripts) should be voting for Weird Al's "The Saga Begins"!
Re:Major League Baseball != mlb.com (Score:1)
Re:Well I guess it's true . . . (Score:1)
I made a sandwich.
Next time? (Score:1)
What would happen if someone used a "Melissa" like delivery system to utilize perl installed on other systems?
Wouldn't that bypass the normal logging procedures at contest sites? As I said before, I have absolutely no idea if this is even possible, but it's an interesting concept, eh?
And yes, I realize that at this point, Outlook using (MS) systems aren't likely to have Perl installed, but look at the MS/Activesoft deal, could be something to look for? (I dunno
I apologize in advance for any holes in my idea that you could drive a truck through, I only mention it out of curiousity.
~Grell
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
Re:Really disgusted (Score:1)
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
Major League Baseball != mlb.com (Score:1)
The computer police entrusted with sniffing out corruption did their job, according to Alex Tam, director of Major League Baseball's web site (mlb.com).
It is, in fact, majorleaguebaseball.com [majorleaguebaseball.com]. I could maybe expect something like this from the NY Times [nytimes.com], but not from an organization as good as the Boston Globe
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
Re:Major League Baseball != mlb.com (Score:1)
Hrm. Ok.
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
Re:Defending the Yankees (?) (Score:1)
Eh, just words from a basketball fan. Basketballs faster paced than baseball, and therefore better to watch for those of us with short attention spans.
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
I wish I knew.
Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
My Only Gripe... (Score:1)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"SMITH&WESSON: The Original Point-N-Click Interface"
Doesn't REALLY matter. (Score:1)
- A.P.
--
"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad
Defending the Yankees (?) (Score:1)
? They got where they are using legally questionable tactics ?
I'd say that the recent editions are more like the Linux of baseball: without any really big superstars (yeah, they're all good, but not like a Bonds or a McGwire) they had a near-record breaking year and won the World Series through hard work and teamwork.
If you want a Microsoft of baseball, check out the departed Florida Marlins championship team. They won through superior spending power.
from someone who's a hockey fan, anyhow
Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
However, This poor misguided soul is what even crackers hate... a person who isn't breaking in to show it can be done, but to mess with the results of a vote that was put on the web in a wonderful show of internet trust. The league didn't have to put the ballots on the web... they could have made me go to wall-mart. But, in recognizing that the internet is a global community that counts, they made it so I don't have to work off those last two Ho-Ho's to vote for some stupid player.
So, when Joe BuisnessOwner hears about this, and then is faced with the decision to web or not to web, what do you think he'll do?
Oh, and not changing the data sent in the form? was that just lazyness or what? (not that I can talk... I used the web to vote)
As if things aren't dicy enough... (Score:1)
Ps. The Yankees are the Microsoft of Baseball.
;P
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:2)
I could have done it without being caught, but I was hungry.
Heh... (Score:1)
If you can't figure it out yourself, maybe you deserve to listen to Backstreet Boys...
Besides, what are you going to vote for: Pearl Jam?
---
Put Hemos through English 101!
'clever' hacker? (Score:1)
Oh, wait... hrm.
(Really, putting in the same e-mail address for each vote? Duplicate information such as phone number, zip code, etc? Must not have put too much effort into it.)
Re:Doesn't REALLY matter. (Score:1)
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
Of course, they did it manually....
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:2)
If you want to become a perl hacker:
1. Get the camel book
2. Read other peoples scripts
3. Find something that needs doing
4. Write a script and try it
5. Ask for help
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the script does what you want
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 often
8. Always use your power for good, never evil
If you do turn to the dark side, at least try not to be as incompetent as this guy was.
Re:Heh... (Score:1)
Pun intended?
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
Besides, in the context of the Red Sox and Yankess, this kind of stuff is fair game.
We just needed a better scripter, some MIT geek who wouldn't get caught.
Come to think of it, maybe we had one and just don't know about it.
Re:Defending the Yankees (?) (Score:1)
As for the talent, it is a great, likable team,
its the fans that are arrogant asses.
Evil? (Score:1)
Re:The worst misuse of "hacker" I've seen. (Score:1)
So that's what a prog lang is for! (Score:1)
Other highlights were the "average high-end hacker" . Hrm. How many self contradictions can you get into one sentence?
I lurve sports writing. Makes me smile every time.
Johan
seen on a house in north cambridge:
"the center for high-energy meta-physics"
Re:The Red Sox are the Apple of baseball (Score:1)
loyal Cub fan
Hacking Old Media - fun and easy (Score:1)
1) Pick a song. Maybe Linus or JWZ or Larry Wall or (insert
2) Post it as an article on
3) Watch as MTV VJ with impossibly perfect hair tries to explain to zillions of tennyboppers why, say, Sisters of Mercy is the #1 video.
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
I wish i DIDN'T.
-flm
The Cubs could be Be? (Score:1)
Plus they're not cursed...
The curse of the Bambino=The curse of Steve Jobs?
Re:Perl is the culprit \AGAIN\ (Score:1)
the perl script was on HIS side... he could have done the same exact thing with a C++ program. Perl had 100% NOTHING to do with the piss poor security of the MLB site.
Re:Gives 'hacker' a bad name... too late. (Score:1)
Oh, bite me.
And proud of it!!! (Score:1)
GO NEW YORK YANKEES - WORLD SERIES BOUND IN '99!!!
I am one to discourage such use of computers. What if I "stuffed the ballots" to vote in Bernie rather tha Junior? Sure I can do it but it'd be wrong.
Today's English Lesson: Oxymorons
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
Not a complete misuse of 'Hacker' (Score:1)
It was pretty dumb not to randomize the information and at least lookup real zipcodes from a database.
As for checking for perl scripts, it probably looks for the browser type in the header. I'd be he and alot of others will have success at hacking this voting system next year.
They are idiots if they use online voting to make any real decisions anyway!
The Indians did it without computers! (Score:2)
While this guy's scam didn't work, the Indians' method did -- they got four players in the starting lineup! And it seems to be due to more than just a good team and sellout crowds. When they handed out the ballots in person at the ballpark, they apparently made no attempt at all to make sure people didn't vote multiple times. To quote, "the ushers came to pick up the All-Star ballots handed out earlier and immediately passed out fresh ones." One guy says he voted 25 times in one game! There aren't many "votes" that allow that kind of abuse.
For more, check out this page [go.com] on ESPN. You have to scroll down to Monday's entry, but it's very interesting.
The Red Sox are the Apple of baseball (Score:1)
I'm one of them btw
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
i asked him why he left it so lame?
His answer "I was hungry and went to go eat."
Which, AFAICT, still got him more votes than anyone else.
Re:Doesn't REALLY matter. (Score:1)
Re:Major League Baseball != mlb.com (Score:1)
Re:Really disgusted (Score:1)
Cubs certainly are cursed. (Score:1)
- A.P.
--
"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad
All-Star Game? (Score:1)
How often does this happen?
Re:The Indians did it without computers! (Score:1)
He made it to ESPN [go.com] and had an article posted about him - baseball claims they will be ready next year, more the reason to prove them wrong and vote someone like Corey Koskie or Todd Pratt in as a starter.
Re:The Indians did it without computers! (Score:1)
Or how about a team of Linux penguins?
Heh heh heh
Re:Major League Baseball != mlb.com (Score:1)
May as well post the code Chris (Score:1)
laziness? (Score:1)
"But what apparently did in Nandor was a certain amount of laziness uncharacteristic of his hero, Garciaparra."
Clearly, They understand niether "Laziness"
or his "Hero". Hunger is a different thing though. Next they'll accuse him of Hubris...
garyr
Re:Doesn't REALLY matter. (Score:1)
If you keep playing the rate you do, you will meet Bosox in the first round and get what you did to them last year. And the yanks will beat the tomahawk chopper again, which will probably cause some complaint in baseball and a legitamate soft salary -cap. Yankees fans, the time is NOW, let's do it again! Geroge, do you hear me.
CY, who think Jeter should be casted as the next Anakin, you tell me he can't whip Darth Maul in a lightsaber fight?
Re:Evil? (Score:1)
The worst misuse of "hacker" I've seen. (Score:1)
Is in this "internet world" article. http://www.in ternetworld.com/print/current/news/19990628-critic s.html [internetworld.com]
The author basically calls people who lie on web-forms "hackers." Truly astonishing. :]
Re:The Red Sox are the Apple of baseball (Score:1)
I should think before i type. (Score:1)
Re:Similar Scripts Available (Score:1)
Oddjob also has a list of suggestions, like getting the camel book and such.
Clearly, Oddjob isn't aware "this guy" is the author of a Perl book [macperl.com], a perl5-porter, author in The Perl Journal, and speaker on Perl conferences.
--- Abigail