The State of Missouri will not prosecute a journalist labeled a “hacker” for posting the website’s source code and reporting a serious security breach.
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In October 2021, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Josh Renaud published a story documenting the exposure of Social Security numbers (SSNs) belonging to teachers, administrators, and counselors caused by security flaws on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.
Over 100,000 SSNs were reportedly exposed.
Renaud discovered the problem in a search function on the website, and all he needed to find SSNs was to press F12 and view the website's HTML via the developer console.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the flaw, which allowed anyone with a browser to view this sensitive data privately on DESE before it was published. However, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson had a strange take on responsible disclosure.
On Twitter, Parson claimed that the journalist "took the files of at least three teachers, decoded the HTML , and saw the SSN of those specific teachers."
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Parson said:
“This matter is serious. The state is committed to bringing to justice anyone who hacks our system and anyone who aids or encourages them to do so — to the fullest extent permitted and required by Missouri law.
A hacker is someone who gains unauthorized access to information or content. This person did not have permission to do what they did.
"We will not rest until we clearly understand this individual's intentions and why Missouri teachers were targeted.".
Locke Thompson, the Cole County District Attorney, declined to press charges. In a statement last week, Thompson thanked the governor for his concerns and said that while “there is an argument that there was a violation of the law,” the “issues at the center of the investigation have been resolved.”.
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“Therefore, it is not in the best interest of the citizens of Cole County to utilize the significant resources and taxpayer dollars that would be necessary to pursue criminal prosecution for a misdemeanor charge,” the prosecutor said.
Information source: zdnet.com
