Wired is reporting that Adrian Lamo hacked into Cingular's insurance claims website. Mr. Lamo (a rather high-profile hacker) stated that he could have pulled personal data on millions of customers, but he didn't feel the need. For 14 year old hacker wannabes, here's how the pro's work:
"He said he discovered the problem this weekend through a random finding in a Sacramento Dumpster, where a Cingular store had discarded records about a customer's insurance claim for a lost phone. By simply typing in a URL listed on the detritus, Lamo was taken to the customer's claim page."
Next time you're browsing a dumpster, keep on the lookout for those insecure URL's.