Three MIT students, who were barred from talking publicly about security flaws they discovered in Massachusetts' automated mass transit fare system, have had their gag lifted by a U.S. federal judge.
U.S. District Judge George O'Toole rejected a request by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to impose a five-month injunction on the students from revealing anything about the security system. He also got rid of the temporary restraining order that had prohibited the students from speaking about their findings this month at DefCon.
Zack Anderson, R.J. Ryan and Alessandro Chiesa were supposed to give a talk at DefCon entitled "Want free subway rides for life?"
U.S. District Judge George O'Toole rejected a request by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to impose a five-month injunction on the students from revealing anything about the security system. He also got rid of the temporary restraining order that had prohibited the students from speaking about their findings this month at DefCon.
Zack Anderson, R.J. Ryan and Alessandro Chiesa were supposed to give a talk at DefCon entitled "Want free subway rides for life?"
The MBTA plans to continue with its lawsuit against MIT and the three students. claiming the students violated the federal Computer Fraud & Abuse Act.
O'Toole thought the MBTA was unlikely to succeed on that claim because the law is aimed at preventing the transmission of computer viruses and worms, not at preventing information from being given to an audience during a speech.