30 Minutes To Crack 84$ Million Porn Filter

[Aaron]

Herald Sun

A MELBOURNE schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government's new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.

Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government's filter, released on Tuesday.

Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks.

His technique ensures the software's toolbar icon is not deleted, leaving parents under the impression the filter is still working.

A former cyber bullying victim, Tom feared a computer-savvy child could work out the bypass and put it on the internet for others to use.

Tom, who spoke to Communications Minister Helen Coonan about cyber safety during a forum in May, said the Federal Government should have developed a better Australian made filter.

"It's a horrible waste of money," he said.

"They could get a much better filter for a few million dollars made here rather than paying overseas companies for an ineffective one."

In response to the Herald Sun's , inquiries the Government added an Australian designed filter, Integard, to the website yesterday, which Tom cracked within 40 minutes.

Senator Coonan said the Government had anticipated children would try and find ways to get around the NetAlert filters, and suppliers were contracted to provided continuing updates.

"The vendor is investigating the matter as a priority," Senator Coonan said.

"Unfortunately, no single measure can protect children from online harm and . . . traditional parenting skills have never been more important."

Family First Senator Steve Fielding, a long-time campaigner for cyber safety, said cracking the software showed the need for compulsory filtering by internet providers.

"You need both. You need it at the ISP and at the PC level," Senator Fielding said.

"The Government has not listened to common sense and it leaves kids exposed."

The filters are designed to stop access to sites on a national blacklist, bar use of chat rooms, and can be tailored by parents to stop access to sites.

Tom stressed the filters were missing the mark by a long way regardless of how easy they were to break.

"Filters aren't addressing the bigger issues anyway," he said. "Cyber bullying, educating children on how to protect themselves and their privacy are the first problems I'd fix.

"They really need to develop a youth-involved forum to discuss some of these problems and ideas for fixing them."

The $189 million NetAlert scheme includes $84.4 million for the National Filter Scheme, plus funding for online policing, a help line, and education programs.

The Government will also offer the option of filtering by internet service providers.

Under its filter program, households can download the filter from netalert.gov.au or have it sent out on to them.

Well that's money well spent. I hope they sue the developer and the company fires the testers.

[Sionnach Glic]

What the-?
How in the hell is it possible to spend so much money and get somthing a kid can disable? I wonder how much of that money was actually spent on the program and how much went into the pockets of various people.

BTW. Whats a 'year 10' student? How old would one be?

[Aaron]

To quote someone from another board, "never send software to do a parents job." And I agree most computer saavy teens can disable firewalls and net nanny type programs.

I assume a year ten student is a grade 10 student.

*Edit: probably around 15 years old.

[Sionnach Glic]

*Edit: probably around 15 years old.

Thanks. I haven't a clue about US education.

Still, a 15 year old could do this? Did anyone even test this system? Or is this kid just some sort of genius? Probably the former, I guess.

[Aaron]

*Edit: probably around 15 years old.

Thanks. I haven't a clue about US education.

Still, a 15 year old could do this? Did anyone even test this system? Or is this kid just some sort of genius? Probably the former, I guess.

Given that this is a government program, they probably just did the minimum of required testing. But I would expect better of Australia.

[MetalHead]

Year 10 in the US is the Sophomore Year (2nd) in Highschool, the 10th grade, age of about 15-16

...all I have to say is wow.

[Teaos]

I want to kick that kid in the balls really hard. What and asshole.

[Mikey]

Why be mad at that kid? If it wasn't him, it would be someone else - it was only a matter of time.

Still, as a parent myself, I continue to be amazed at the number of parents who piss and moan about every little thing that OTHER PEOPLE could and should be doing to protect their children. I don't blame production companies for what's on TV - I ACT LIKE A REAL PARENT and monitor what my daughter watches. I don't sue toy companies for what attitudes their products might promote - I ACT LIKE A REAL PARENT and check out what my daughter plays with. And when she's old enough to surf the 'net, and I won't claim that it's the government's responsibility, or the advertisers' responsibility, or anyone elses's, to raise my child for me - I WILL ACT LIKE A REAL PARENT and do the job of raising my daughter myself.

[Sionnach Glic]

Personally, I say good in the kid. Most would just keep it a secret and spread it round their friends. Within a month you have a completely useless system that anyone will be able to break. At least now that the kid reported it they can do something about it. It cant have been particularly hard to get by.

[MetalHead]

Why be mad at that kid? If it wasn't him, it would be someone else - it was only a matter of time.

Still, as a parent myself, I continue to be amazed at the number of parents who **** and moan about every little thing that OTHER PEOPLE could and should be doing to protect their children. I don't blame production companies for what's on TV - I ACT LIKE A REAL PARENT and monitor what my daughter watches. I don't sue toy companies for what attitudes their products might promote - I ACT LIKE A REAL PARENT and check out what my daughter plays with. And when she's old enough to surf the 'net, and I won't claim that it's the government's responsibility, or the advertisers' responsibility, or anyone elses's, to raise my child for me - I WILL ACT LIKE A REAL PARENT and do the job of raising my daughter myself.

*standing ovation*

Need more people to think like you. The UK is really bad, parents do give a shit and our streets are littered with crime and violence, frequently with weaponry...

[shran]

Considering the average attitude of teenagers, I suppose not by far all of them could do it, but I suppose that anyone with at least sligtly more than basic experience on computers could crack it. However, most teenagers won;t even care, because they're reluctant to use their brains or because they don't want to be caught being a nerd/geek/whatever-word-similar-to-intelligent-being-used.

goverments tend to tink kids are stupid. they are, until a certain level. than beweare, there be geeks.

[Mikey]

Shran, I agree with you about teenagers' attitudes in general, but I think you underestimate the motivation of the value of the prize... in this case, for example, internet porn.

[Teaos]

I strongly disagree with any form of mass censorship.

The reason I hate this Kid is not for cracking it but for telling someone in authority about it. Get a life you little pissant.

[Aaron]

Shran, I agree with you about teenagers' attitudes in general, but I think you underestimate the motivation of the value of the prize... in this case, for example, internet porn.

I'm more concerned about internet predators than I am about net porn. My son isn't let on the net without supervision right now. He's only six and only chat's with his Grandparents and Uncle on MSN but I don't intend to let my kids run around the net unsupervised. Net porn is the least of my worries. Hell porn is a healthy thing for a teenager. I can keep a six year old away from it no problem.

[Mikey]

I don't intend to let my kids run around the net unsupervised.

That's really the end all, be all. Whether we're talking about pornography, sexual predators, cults, or just shopping; it's up to a parent to do a parent's job. If someone wants the government, or advertisers, or producers, or anyone else to do his or her own job of parenting, here's a list of options for them:

condoms; diaphragms; various and sundry birth control pills; IUDS; abstinence, etc.