4LL 1N 4LL Y0U G07 J00R P01N7 4CR055, H0W3V3R W3 F3LT TH4T G1V3N Y0UR 4RGUM3NT 4B0UT 0UR P00R SP3LL1NG 4ND GR4MM4R, W3 SH0ULD ENL1GHT3N Y0U ON S0ME OF J00R 0WN M1ST4K3Z. W3 H4V3 PR00FR34D J00R 574T3M3NT 4ND 0FF3R TH1S C0RR3CT3D V3RS10N F0R J00R R3VI3W!

GR4D3: C+

J00 N33D T0 W0RK 0N Y0UR D3B47E SK33LZ AND C0ME UP WITH CLEAR3R ARGUMEN75.

GR4MM4R C0UNTZ!

I will not be addressing every single detail and statement made in this the article released by a supposed "ex-fate" labs member in a recent #phrack news post. This is because the news post was full of so many distortions of truth that replying to each one would be overly time consuming than what I plan for this response [Clearer if left off]. I find it funny that the individual was too cowardice cowardly to name himself in this article. Anonymity is for individuals who are slinging mud that is based on oppinion opinion rather than factual information. Does this individual know the intimacies of my life and my intentions, no. No, he obviously does not.

First of all, I consider [RaFa] to not only be a friend, but family as well. The conversation I had with [RaFa] and the reasons I mentioned in that conversation for him having to "lay low" was to somehow separate him from involvement with Fate Labs due to the accidental defacement he had made and apologized for publicly.[Run On Sentence] I felt telling him "you are bringing bad publicity to Fate Labs" or "several members no longer want you in Fate" would have been too harsh and insensitive. I felt the reason I came up with, although not true, was the best way we could have dissolved that relationship. Is this anyone elses business? No..

My claims of working for the FBI and NIPC in past attacks on a Military web server is in fact true. (See my whitepaper, Broken Walls). What your statement in the news article actually is relevant to, I have no clue. However, this is because the IRC conversation you tied it to has no meaning whatsoever, nor is are any of the statements I made to [RaFa] true. Again refer to my previous statement.

Ok, this is my confusion Herein my confusion lies: What exactly does me my being a self-confessed" non-programmer" have anything to do with my career in the Security Industry or even Fate Labs? How does this make me a bad person? I've never admitted to[What are you admitting? Try simply, "told"] anyone that I was a programmer, nor have I stuck my name on anyones source code and called it mine. What exactly does your statement have any relevancy to anyway?

Quote: "Eric Hines cannot write code in any programming language, therefore he relies on help from other programmers he has recruited into Fate Labs"

Lets Let's see.. That's how businesses survive, right?.. ? The CEO can program, do the cohesive[Read cohesive's meaning on www.m-w.com] marketing and sales campaigns, and can even write all the code he needs for the product. That's how organizations work, isnt it? [I'm not sure how this statement supports your argument] Please get a better sense of reality, kid. Fate Labs has been broken down into a heiarchal hierarchal structure where departments for Development, Research, and Management have been created. Each person with their own strengths contributing to research.

Regarding our advisories, several advisories were mistakenly released without further research. This has happened in the past and will continue to happen with anyone that posts in Open Disclosure. It goes with the territory. That is the reason why we no longer posted it on them to the Fate Labs web site, so what exactly are you trying to say here?

My position in open disclosure and the security industry has nothing to do with programming or being able to write code. [Redundant Statement] You obviously have some issues to work out as an incredibly egotistical programmer who has issues with anyone that can not program. Do all security researchers have to be programmers? I believe I was the one who authored an advisory on circumventing VPNet appliances without having to know a single line of code. You have a lot to learn in this world as well as a lot of growing up to do. So we all can't be elite programmers like yourself, how terrible is that? Think about it this way, programmers are what makes advisories and vulnerabilities possible. [Again, how does this support your argumment?] A little one-sided are we kid?

The opinions you've stated in this article can also get you in a great deal of trouble. Claiming no researchers within Fate Research Labs have an active MBI Secret, or TS/SCI clearance is defamation and since it is not supported by facts, [I] would love to see you identify yourself for further action. It is quite funny that you would say something like this when I recently completed my Secret Clearance application process. Again, another point to your "news article" being full of nothing but opinions rather than facts. Other members also hold active clearances that I'm sure you obviously would not know about since you are no longer a member. Or were you ever?

In closing, it is apparent to me that you obviously have way too much time on your hands, along with the other 12 year olds in #phrack that[,] by the looks of their grammatical and spelling abilities[,] are not much older than 15. [Run on sentence - Are they 12 year olds or 15 year olds?] Reading your several page rant or "news post" more closely, I realize that it wasn't full of any factual information, rather, distortions of the truth. BTW, if this is who I think it is, my quotes in the Wired Magazine article remain true.. Several of the #phrack members are already contradictions of contradicting your message and "mission". You guys are a fad that will very quickly die out once several of you continue to get jobs within the security field. I find your whole "manifesto" to be quite humorous. Be careful with whom you burn bridges, one day all of you will have to all grow up and get real jobs.

+ ESH