The Mercury News reported on a case in the Silicon Valley that was solved due to a memory-chip sale gone bad. Apparently a man was commuting all the way from Vegas, stealing hardware from large tech companies, and then selling the goods online:

An irate woman traced two faulty $75 memory chips she had been sold on eBay to a seller and complained to the chip makers. Police with the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team traced the name. Using a search warrant to go through the logs of an airline passenger clearinghouse service, they found Young had been flying in and out of the Bay Area for three years around the times of the thefts. They also saw he was scheduled to fly into the San Francisco airport two days later. He was arrested on the jet bridge.

I guess even the common thief needs quality control…

We all think it’s polite to hold doors open for people, and some insist that a failure to follow this tradition is a sign of rudeness. However, on the other hand, our politeness becomes our weakness as attackers find it a convenient way to “skate” their way into secure facilities without hassle.

As Emily Dickinson once said:

“Remember me” implored the Thief!
Oh Hospitality!
My Guest “Today in Paradise”
I give thee guaranty.

That Courtesy will fair remain
When the Delight is Dust
With which we cite this mightiest case
Of compensated Trust.

Of all we are allowed to hope
But Affidavit stands
That this was due where most we fear
Be unexpected Friends.

Expect the unexpected?

Update: I soon found myself pondering in/out access points in the Silicon Valley. Where have the designated “in” and “out” doors gone? That would at least cut down on the folks skulking around or trying to find a common exit to exploit, since they would be obviously acting spuriously unless entering through an “entrance”. Virtually every door I have seen lately, even in some “high-security” datacenters, has been bidirectional. Odd.