パスワードをクラックしてみませんか？

ノルウェーの文化保護教育センターのイーバー・オーセン言語文化センター(Ivar Aasen Center for Language and Culture)が、世界中の善意あるクラッカーにデータベースのパスワードをクラックしてくれるようにお願いしたときの言葉。ノルウェー内をくまなく旅して回った研究者で、1850年にノルウェー全土の方言をまとめあげ、新しい言語を確立したアイバー・アーセン(Ivar Aasen)に関する専門の調査官ライダー・ジュピダル(Reidar Djupedal/1921 89)教授の14,000冊以上の蔵書が1993年に家族から、Ivar Aasen-tunetへ寄贈され、文書管理担当者が9年前に11,000冊分のデジタル書誌資料を「DBase IV」データベースに保存したが、蔵書とデジタル書誌資料がIvar Aasen Center for Language and Cultureに届く前に、担当者が亡くなってしまったことから、パスワード保護が施されたデジタル書誌資料にアクセスできない状態なってしまった。そこで、世界中の善意あるクラッキング技術に精通したハッカーに向けて、2002年5月31日にラジオで、データベースのパスワードをクラックしてくれるようにお願いした。2002年6月6日に「The password mystery」として、その経緯と結果の報告が公開された。2002年6月7日には100人以上の情報が提供され、感謝とともに、この大問題は解決した。詳細情報はURL(http://webon.prodat.no/wsp/aasentunet/webon.wsp?func=list&table=CONTENT&func_id=20020606&template=content)で知ることができる。実に、クラッカーによる金字塔のような功績といえる。ただし、この場合はクラッカーというより、ハッカーと呼ぶべきかもしれない。詳細情報はURL(http://www.aasentunet.no/)で知ることができる。目の敵のようにFBIや警察に狙われ、誤解されているハッカーも今回は平素の実績が、結果を生み、最初に届いた電子メールには、データ・ファイルにアクセスするアイディアが掲載され、解読されたデータは、ノルウェー大学図書館(Norwegian University Libraries)、ノルウェー国立図書館(the National Library)、全ての単科大学図書館(college libraries)、調査研究図書館(number of research libraries)が利用しているBIBSYS databaseに保存されると、図書館員のKirsti Langstoeylが豊富を語っている。ただし、今後はクラッカーのすばらしい技術を悪用することは避けて欲しいものである。

[2002年6月6日の報告]
The password mystery

Enormous interest about unknown password
- Computing enthusiasts from all over the world are discussing our problem with the database of Reidar Djupedal's book collection. We are excited about the enormous interest this has created and we would like to thank all who have contacted us by e-mail and telephone since the news came up May 31st in Norwegian radio. By now we have got over 100 e-mails and phone calls from people suggesting different ways to handle our problem, says librarian at the centre, Kirsti Langstoeyl.
- A local computing expert is now working on the case, and he is trying to trace the origins of the database by contacting former colleagues of the database creator. He has also got copies of the e-mails to get ideas of how to open the data files.

Do YOU want to crack the password?
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History of the book collection and the database The private book collection of professor and Ivar Aasen researcher Reidar Djupedal(1921-89) was given to Ivar Aasen-tunet in 1994 as a gift from his family. The collection contains about 14 000 books, periodicals and special prints covering various subjects - mainly the science of languages, literature, history and religion, as well as fiction, mainly in the Scandinavian languages.

Some nine years ago 11 000 titles were registered in a database made by dBase IV. A printed list of the records was made, but unfortunately the titles were not listed alphabetically. The man who made the data base passed away before the collection and the database came to the Ivar Aasen centre, and we have no known information from him which can help us solve the problem. The database concists of three data files which are compressed and encrypted and probably also has a password block. All information we have got from the creator of the database is that it is made by dBase IV.

Ivar Aasen-tunet is a member of BIBSYS, which is a library data center offering services to all Norwegian University Libraries, the National Library, all college libraries, and a number of research libraries. They have tried to open the files but did not succeed.

- Our hope is that the database can be opened and that the data can be imported into the BIBSYS database. This means that each title is connected to an already existing bibliographic record and that barcodes for each item easily can be produced. Whithout the database it will probably take us 4 years to register the collection, concludes librarian Kirsti Langstoeyl.

About the password mystery on the Internet:
NRK
Dagbladet
TV2
digi.no
The Norway Post
Slashdot
New Scientist
Computerworld

(6.6.2002)

[2002年6月7日の報告]
The password is ''ladepujd''

Password problem solved

- First I would like to thank all the people who wanted to help us in this case, says Kirsti Langstoeyl, librarian at the Ivar Aasen centre. - Since thursday afternoon 100 e-mails have come to our mailbox. Some of them suggest ladepujd, others think it might be maiendaiog or vmaarett.

The first person who sent us the correct password, also sent us the different data files from the database easy for us to work with. - Our computing expert is now on the case. On Monday we know if we have the original database working, and we will present the name of the person with the final solution.

(7.6.2002)