Look out for Lookout: online security at its’ worst

Last week, a reporter for MPR covered a story involving the state of Minnesota warning its’ agencies not to use a contractor’s service it had been using due to security problems:

This week, Minnesota Public Radio was able to access state employee data on Lookout Services’ Web site without using a password or encryption software. Employee names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and hire dates were visible on the Web site for every state agency using the service.

This week, the state and MPR are being countersued for breach of contract, stealing trade secrets and “hacking.”

It’s bullshit, of course.

The Lookout Services Inc. countersuit is a frivolous lawsuit which attempts to intimidate and quash people from exercising their First Amendment rights regarding publicizing information about their site’s complete lack of security.

Let’s see what’s up:

• Lookout Services CEO Elaine Morley runs a law firm out of the same address (5909 West Loop S Fwy # 300 in Bellaire, TX) with her husband, Arden Morley, called Morley & Morley P.C.
• On LinkedIn, Morley & Morley P.C. claims to have 5 employees and Lookout Services, Inc. claims to have 10 employees.
• Morley & Morley P.C. shares at least two other employees with Lookout Services, Inc.: Alisha Campos and David Person. In related news stories, David Person is referred to as “the company’s attorney” and you can find Alisha Campos’ email address on the Lookout site in reference to customer service. (The demo has been taken down, but is cached by Google.)
• The Morleys are on Twitter, and have registered the following accounts: @Everifyandi9, @Lookoutservices, @L00koutservices, @ArdenMorleyLaw, @ArdenMorley, @Houstonlawfirm, @SugarLandLawyer, and who knows what else.
• The Morleys are Republicans, which was kind of obvious from their gross misunderstanding of the First Amendment, although Arden Morley is particularly fond of the Second Amendment (plus 137 other things, damn):
• The Morleys/Lookout Services Inc./Morley & Morley, P.C. were taken to court in 2008 for failing to pay their “computer consultants” nearly $20k. This is publicly-available information: [PDF]
• On the Secrets of the City blog, someone calling themselves “Ashley” with a Sugar Land, TX IP address posted the Lookout press release and comparisons to a journalist burglarizing a house, along with things such as, “The power of the press is enormous and virtually unchecked.”