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How Best Buy’s Computer-Wiping Error Turned Me into an Amateur Blackhat

posted by martyb on Saturday June 13 2015, @08:14PM   
from the It's-Milliner-Time! dept.

Phoenix666 writes with an interesting anecdote posted on Ars Technica:

We put a lot of trust in big companies, so when they let us down it can have serious consequences.

I recently went shopping for a new computer. I wanted a low-end laptop for light work, and the HP Stream seemed like a good deal. That deal was made even sweeter when Best Buy offered to sell me a returned one for almost 20 percent off. The salesman assured me that it was in like-new condition and that they would honor all warranties. Sold.

I always get a little thrill opening a new gadget. The computer looked like it had never been touched and all the paperwork was still in sealed bags. There was even a slip of paper in the box with the ID of the tech who cleaned and certified the unit.

So it surprised me when I booted up and saw someone else's name and Hotmail address at the login prompt. So much for like-new!

As I stared at the full name and e-mail address of the previous owner—let's call him David—I wondered. Could I get into this computer another way? It was mine after all. And how much more could I learn about him? How bad of a mistake had the store made?

Any similar stories out there Soylentils care to share?

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Original Submission

• Obvious Stolen Laptop(Score: 3, Interesting) by GungnirSniper on Saturday June 13 2015, @10:30PM

  by GungnirSniper (1671) on Saturday June 13 2015, @10:30PM (#195904) Journal

  The repair shop I was at was near a big-name crimson college, and it wasn't unusual to see computers with Chinese or other non-Latin characters on the keyboards. What did not match in this case, was the language of the keyboard and Windows with the owner's name. The obviously Middle Eastern name did not match at all with the very Oriental nature of the kanji and brand name Panasonic. It wasn't a Toughbook but a stylish almost-Sony-like imported thin notebook. Somehow I accessed the files, and found the real owner's name and contact info. He was so incredibly grateful, since his master's thesis was on there, to know he hadn't lost it forever.

  The police later arrested the theft, who apparently was an opportunistic type who struck dorms while delivering pizzas.

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