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Prosecutors Suspect Man Hacked Lottery Computers to Score Winning Ticket

posted by cmn32480 on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:18AM   
from the you-feeling-lucky? dept.

AnonTechie writes in with an article from Ars Technica:

Prosecutors say they have evidence indicating the former head of computer security for a state lottery association tampered with lottery computers prior to him buying a ticket that won a $14.3 million jackpot, according to a media report.

Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51, may have inserted a thumbdrive into a highly locked-down computer that's supposed to generate the random numbers used to determine lottery winners, The Des Moines Register reported, citing court documents filed by prosecutors. At the time, Tipton was the information security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association ), and he was later videotaped purchasing a Hot Lotto ticket that went on to fetch the winning $14.3 million payout.

• Re:No surprise Re:No surprise (Score: 2, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:13PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:13PM (#171540)

  Well, I wasn't there, but I guess it was in part also your failure at communicating at a level they can understand. You probably used many technical terms that were pure Chinese to them. You probably failed to simplify the description enough that they could understand.

  But what if you can print a ticket after the drawing is over? Full control of the server would allow that!

  Did you use this wording (or equivalent) at the presentation? And did you say so before they had effectively shut down their listening because of all the technical "gibberish" you told them (because to a layman most of the technical description is gibberish)? If you did, then it's clearly their fault, because there's probably no way to say it more clearly and more understandable. But otherwise, I can only say you should have.

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• communication error? communication error? (Score: 5, Funny) by khallow on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:21PM

  by khallow (3766) on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:21PM (#171573) Journal

  Well when it's brillig, of course slithy toves gyre and even gimble in the wabe. That's just what they do in the situation. We can just look at this a little bit here. Borogoves mimsy? Check. Mome raths outgrabe? Check. This is so obvious. Coherent we don't even

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  • Re:communication error? Re:communication error? (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:31PM (#171699)

    have you ever thought about writing a sequel to lord of the rings or the wheel of time? you're definitely channeling one of the authors...

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    • Re:communication error? (Score: 2) by Zinho on Thursday April 16 2015, @09:43PM

      by Zinho (759) on Thursday April 16 2015, @09:43PM (#171743)

      Nope, (mis)quoting from Lewis Carroll. If you really want weapons-grade gibberish go to a mathematician, not a fantasy writer: generation of randomness is not something to be left to chance.

      --
      "Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin

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• Re:No surprise (Score: 2) by Mr Big in the Pants on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:46PM

  by Mr Big in the Pants (4956) on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:46PM (#171705)

  You weren't there. That is the only thing you wrote that is factual.

  When spending money is involved, some managers tend to get blustery and willfully ignorant - especially when its coming out of their budget or to accept it would accept truisms to be false.

  If YOU haven't been there before I doubt you have been to many important meetings..

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