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Hacker Sentenced To Longest US Sentence Yet
Iphtashu Fitz writes "The Associated Press is reporting that a Michigan man has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for his involvement in hacking into the corporate systems of Lowe's Home Improvement and attempting to steal customer credit card information. The sentence far exceeds the 5 1/2 years that hacker Kevin Mitnick spent behind bars. Two others are awaiting sentencing, including one of the first people to ever be convicted of wardriving. Prosecutors said the three men tapped into the wireless network of a Lowe's store in Southfield, Mich., used that connection to enter the chain's central computer system in North Wilkesboro, N.C., and installed a program to capture credit card information. No data was actually collected however."
They were criminals. These were crackers, not hackers. You don't install credit card number capturing software on someone's retail network unless you're up to no good.
Thanks to our parole system which considers rape, murder, and anything else that isn't drug sales to be harmless to society, he'll be out in just four or six.
For reference, a typical sentence for breaking and entering with intent to steal is about two to four years...
But, hey. It looks better when they catch a guy "breaking" into a computer across the internet then when they catch someone actually breaking into a house. Best to throw the biggest book in the area at them to play the circus up some.
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
Wardrivers like that give the wardriving community a bad name. Some wardrivers just want to find free and legal hotspots, and others (although they could have good intentions) just want a free net connection. Wardriving as a cheap way to access corporate networks is just bad taste...
WASTE - The Secure P2P
Since when is wardriving illegal?
Jay | http://oldos.org
Let me make a few preemptive arguments before the inevitable "Free Kevin"-esque posts start coming by the hundreds.
/.ers. For proof, look no further than the topic which this is posted under.
/.ers want to sympathize with this guy is the fact that a lot of them are (good) hackers. No matter how dirty his actions were, they don't want to see a fellow hacker put in prison.
This guy is a criminal. He robbed people, or attempted to rob them. This is like robbing a bank, only worse. Nobody should show any sympathy for this guy. In fact, for the identity theft and fraud he commited, nine years is much too short of a sentence.
I know that a lot of the people who read this may tend to sympathize with him. This is the nature of
That's right, "Your Rights Online." Some editors or submitters apparently think that we have the online right to attempt to steal the property of other people, which if you think about for a minute is absurd.
The reason a lot of
But please, think before you post inane things about how our legal system is evil and corrupt. This is good. Thank God for the law.
Le français vous intéresse?
There have been murderers sentenced to one-fourth that length of time. This is ridiculius when people start valuing money over life.
Regards,
Steve
A bit of common sense here - 9 *years* for hacking. That is higher than the average federal sentence for murder http://www.law.upenn.edu/fac/phrobins/OxfordDeterr enceAppendix.pdf
although lower than the average state one.
I'm sorry, but does anyone else find this silly? You can get a longer sentence for hacking than you can for a rape!
And they didn't even get any credit card information..
I mean if they broke in and took down the entire corp. network or put the company into administration then yeah sure, harsh it up...
But where is the justification for a 9year sentence?
Also, if you trespassed (into the office) and tried to steal a book of credit card information and let's add criminal damage (broken window) you would not get near five years let alone 9!
If you live in a country where revenge prevails then prison is the answer.
and frankly I think the title should be 'Thief sentenced'. This was about getting rich(er) by theft and had nothing at all to do with 'hacking'. If anything your use of it further disparages the term.
Would YOU like to pay the taxes required to lock up every hacker and build 7 new prisons in the process? I didn't think so... Jail costs the gov't money... Fines GIVE the gov't money... Now if every hacker was fined, as opposed to jailed, what do you suppose that would do? Not to mention that jail IS pointless... Are they going to hurt anyone if they aren't in jail? Well, chances are they're not going to be mugging anybody, this is a hacker/geek we're talking about. And are they going to hack/phish/whatever for the next few months/years? Not if they're very intelligent. This is just my theory, but I would imagine these people's online activity would be monitored... So if they do try something stupid, we get to collect another fine! But then again, I'm Canadian... (see if you can pick up on the cynicism)
[] an admin who sets up an unsecure wireless network should be convicted for stupidity.
Interesting concept... So lets say someone leaves there front door unlocked, should they go to jail if someone breaks in? Perhaps the front door is locked, but the dog door is unlocked? What if the the windows don't have bars on them?
What bugs me is that the guy illegally accessed the computer but was not successfull in retreiving credit card information. Is such a long term warranted? What about the Corporate crime bosses who bilk millions or billions from people via fraud - they never get this level of sentence.
It's not like they are getting life in prison or something. 9 years is pretty reasonable for breaking in and trying to steal credit card information. What if someone broke into your house and stole all your stuff? Would you want him to return the items and do some community service or actually serve a sentence?
I think you're missing the point.
Nine years in prison for a non-violent crime? For a non-violent crime that didn't benefit the criminal? It's excessive, especially when murderers and other violent criminals get substantially shorter sentences
I agree with you that he comitted a crime and should do some time and perhaps a fine to Lowes... but nine years is not justice.
Violent crimes effect an individual in a very drastic way, and such criminals should be punished harshly. However, non-violent crimes effect enourmous numbers of people, sometimes in minor ways, but often in profound ways. Violent crimes can destroy a life. Non-violent crimes tear at the fabric of society in a subtle but systemic fashion.
Is the person who dies because their healthcare fund was raided less dead, less of a victim, than someone killed with a gun? If you think so, I'd like to know where you've had your education-- that school system or university may need more funding.
Even according to an "eye for eye" meter, frauding CC accounts isn't the same as pulling the trigger against someone staring in your eyes begging for mercy or pummeling a desperate chick amidst piercing screams... these are more akin to crimes against the humanity embodied in the victim. CC frauds are a burden to the system, involves added costs and generally make good business for damn insurance companies so, don't you think you're getting too touchy? Jail good for these guys? Shure. 9 years? It sounds like a bloody lot of time... perhaps too much unless they can get parole in at most 2~3 and assigned to some social assistance to recoup the cost they woul've been to society. (and in some low risk detention center; no need to add torture to punishment slamming them together with deranged people)
Mi domando chi à il mandante di tutte le cazzate che faccio - Altan
Is how stiff this penalty is compared to that of serious corporate criminals that are already wealthy. I've seen some of this stuff up close(I worked on the audit of Riscorp, the CEO of which did prison time). There seems to be a lot of hysteria around hackers-and very little around the REALLY big criminals-who are the managers of major corporations and governmental organizations.
No, jail does two things for most criminals:
1.) Makes them even more angry at "the system", invokes feelings of alienation. They feel like they are a criminal and that is that.
2.) Gives them time to plot other crimes. Also gives them resources like other criminals to discuss their failures and plan for better crimes, as they are surrounded only by other criminals.
I'm not throwing blind guesses like most slashdotters here - I've done time. For my own reasons, I stopped doing what I was doing. Jail, though, only made things worse.
The fact that the computer was involved is *not* the issue. This was strait up attempted larceny or shoud have been, there is no need for other charges. The fact the computers were part of the means has nothing to do with the elements of theft. There realy does not need to be an specific laws for *computer crimes*. If someone broke into a neuclear power plant it would be covered by Anti Terrorism laws, possibly treason or sabotage and public order laws. The computer is just an instrument in all of these crimes. Does it make any difference if I burgle your home by smashing the padlock on you garage door or picking it? No I broke and entered a home regardless of wether the instrament was a paperclip or a big rock. People think because a computer is involved some specail rules should apply and thats just stupid.
These guys are theifs and should be prosecuted as such, plain and simple. Just like the guy who hacks into the neculear plant is comminting a crime aginst the state and should be charged with treason and fried. I don't care wether he used his Thinkpad or a UHALL filled with TNT its THE SAME CRIME or should be.
Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
This "hacker" never actually stole CC data, but still got nine years.
If Ken Lay is even given jail time, I doubt that he'll be doing 9 years. He'll probably get 1 year max at the place with the golf course and squash court.
I think much of the complaint is not how much time the hacker is getting, but how little time other people who take part in similar crimes but without the "hacking" element.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
Don't shop at Lowes. They keep their credit card information on a computer accessible from an insecure wireless access point.
They were not being "nice" but they weren't hurting anyone (at least not yet).
... So we have to wait until they (ab)use credit cards before they should be stopped?
'Yet'
The real problem I have is Lowes was putting credit card data on a wireless network!
I agree this is pretty dumb, but it's still no reason for it to get cracked. Think about this: you have an expensive house and several heavy locks on your door. One day you forget to lock them. Does this justify every burglar that walks up to your house, opens the door, enters your house and sets up camera's? Okay, they didn't steal anything (yet), but it's really your fault. Yeah right. They knew exactly what they were doing, and the fact that the security wasn't good enough is *no* reason whatsoever to justify this crime.