“The finder, 21-year-old resident of Redwood City, California, Brian J. Hogan, received $5000 for handing the prototype over to Gizmodo,” Jacobsson reports. “In an article published Thursday, CNet reported that Hogan “had help” in finding a buyer for the phone. According to CNet, 27-year-old University of California at Berkeley student Sage Robert Wallower was the go-between for Hogan and the tech sites.”
Jacobsson reports, “Wallower, a former Navy cryptologic technician, previously worked as a computer security officer at Securitas and possesses ‘top-secret clearance,’ according to his LinkedIn profile.”
Full article here.
He’ll probably lose his top secret clearance for being stupid and dishonest.
If he didn’t receive reward then he’ll probably be clear. He doesn’t deserve security clearance anymore. He’s just as likely to repeat this act with US military battle plans.
Top secret clearance for a security co is not the same as for the gov
He told so now we gotta kill ‘i’m.
I’ll bet Wallower told Hogan something like how “connected” he was, and “trust me, we’re on to something hot here”. Sounds like he was not as smart as he thought he was.
Besides, Apple’s corporate security apparatus probably would put the old KGB to shame. Neither one of them had a chance to come out on top in this.
If Wallower was not a “former” Navy cryptologist he might be having a conversation with JAG about now. That’s not to say his security clearance won’t come under scrutiny. One who conspires to fence stolen goods is hardly one to be trusted with sensitive information.
Here’s to Petty Officer Dipsh*t!
He does not deserve a TS much less a title!
Being stupid and dishonest are not normally characteristics of Naval personnel in my experience. But those traits would certainly qualify him for other government work…
@fred
Do you just invent stuff? Or just full of crap?
In fact, private contractors can have fairly substantial security clearances. Furthermore, there are numerous levels of clearances, some not so much, while the President, I believe, has the highest.
Someone in cryptography, and probably using those skills for a government contractor, is going to have a TS clearance and a spotless background. This dude just lost that spotless background.
So fred, if you’re going to spout off, get some facts first. What a maroon.
A bunch of F’ing thieves.
The only thing you have is your word.
$5K ain’t much.
Now doesn’t that give you a nice warm fuzzy feeling about the security of Naval Intelligence?
He was selling the phone to Gizmodo, not China folks! Though now that you mention it, the reporter did look Chinese. Hmmm…
The Hogan gang had the phone for some time before selling it to Gizmodo. Who’s to say that Wallower didn’t give some competing phone manufacturer a look at the phone before shopping it around to the tech blogs?
As someone who had one myself, you lose it after you are discharged. So the fact that he HAD one, is meaningless. Plus it is not hard to get one, they practically give them out to anyone who touches data. I had one at 17 years old for a job that outside would be basic help desk.
I’m still surprised they just simply didn’t take it back to apple. I mean, you could have at the very least gotten thanks from them and a good story to tell. And the most maybe getting to meet steve and/or some apple gear…..
I would have taken it back to apple assuming that the bar keeper didn’t hold on to it.
If the company he works for has a government contract, then he may have a current/active Top Secret government clearance. You don’t have to be active military to hold a government authorized clearance.
MDN-Change the freakin’ headline. He’s “ex-Navy” for Gods sake. So am I, from 41 freakin’ years ago!!!!!
“worked as a computer security officer at Securitas and possesses ‘top-secret clearance,’ according to his LinkedIn profile.”
It seems silly to me that a person would advertise that they have top-secret clearance, in any position, to the world. It could only make you a target.
“and possesses ‘top-secret clearance,’ according to his LinkedIn profile.”
Well, if his LinkedIn profile says it…
New dimensions to this PR coup! Way to go Steve!
Another Irish Dude > It seems silly to me that a person would advertise that they have top-secret clearance, in any position, to the world. It could only make you a target.
I leave the clearance off my LinkedIn profile. Some level of clearance can be inferred from my work experience and associations in LinkedIn. OTOH, I do include my clearance when I provide my resume to companies.
This is starting to sound like a bad episode of Chuck… without the cute chick, of course!!
Some people posting in original article say that Hogan tried to return it, and that Gizmodo eventually did return it and so it was not a theft. Additionally Hogan claims he only sold the right to examine it to Gizmodo.
What I have read is that the statues read something like: “If finder APPROPRIATES for their own use…” That clearly has been done by Hogan and Gizmodo.
When all is said and done, Hogan was given money for transferring the possession of property that was not his. To me, this clearly is “appropriating” the device.
(But what do I know?)
(in my best Colonel Klink voice)
Hogaaaaaaahn!!