Ohio Cracker Confesses to Attacks For Hire

Ritalin16 writes "An Ohio computer hacker recently pled guilty to carrying out crippling denial-of-service attacks on a shady internet hosting company's competitors. From the article: 'In a deal with prosecutors, Richard "Krashed" Roby, 20, pleaded guilty in federal court in Toledo last month to intentionally damaging a protected computer, after launching a 2003 attack on an online satellite TV retailer that caused at least $120,000 in losses.'" Another article indicating an openness on the international stage to cracking for cash.

Comments

I Must Point Out...

[spdt]

This is neither hacking, nor is it cracking. This is just filthy DoSsing.

They should definitely be treated harshly

[ShatteredDream]

Attacking companies' online presence and preventing them doing business is only a step away from being as bad as smashing a store's windows in and tossing a stink/smoke bomb in and clearing the store out for an entire day while the workers clean up. If they were to destroy all of the databases, corrupt the server settings and destroy the web applications, it would be almost as bad as throwing a pipe bomb in through the window at night after everyone is gone. This is no more honorable than hiring the mafia to "protect you" from competitors.

Re:They should definitely be treated harshly

[m50d]

It's worse than that. The Mafia will, by and large, do what you're paying them for - stop anyone else trying to do what they're doing. If you pay off one DDOSer there's nothing that stops another one coming around next week.

Re:They should definitely be treated harshly

[E8086]

"Attacking companies' online presence and preventing them doing business is only a step away from being as bad as smashing a store's windows in and tossing a stink/smoke bomb in and clearing the store out for an entire day while the workers clean up."

I'd consider it closer to blocking the store's enterance preventing customers from entering. If someone were to do that I wonder what the penalty could be, but it might be more than 18-24mo and monetary fines for any local laws, blocking doors is a fire code violation, blocking the sidewalk should be another, the barracade could be considered littering, maybe someone can fit in disturbing the peace.

It's about time the real weight of these "digital" crimes is considered. Yes, the statutory fines for an unauthorized copy of an audio or video file is up to $250,000 and a few years in prison, but that mp3 file on some kid's computer they got with some p2p program isn't worth $250,000, maybe 99c if it's available from a legal download service or a new or used CD if you can find it. A copy of a Hollywood movie it worth the price of a new copy on DVD. And the RITA (recording Industry Trust of America) abuses the laws designed to take down people reselling bootlegs for profit, not giving it away.

Then there are these people who are hired to take out someone's competition. They're nothing more than hitmen and extortionists, pay up or we'll take out your site. These things cost real companies lots of money, lost sales, lost reputation, customer thinks the site/company may not be very reliable, lost man hours trying to repair the damage. And then they're only looking at 18-24mo or less with good behavior/parole.
They're no longer doing drive-bys in upgraded Model Ts with Thompsons, but the concept is similar.

Re:Finally

[tabkey12]

Still, it's quite sad that someone would spend their time taking down other people's servers, in order that a third party makes money, and then go to jail. Personally, it's hard to really see how people can end up in that situation. As far as I am concerned, the person who ordered the hits, Jay Echouafni should be in jail and the hacker should get help to find something more worthwhile to do with his time.

the worst part

[akhomerun]

Jay Echouafni, the 38-year-old satellite TV mogul who allegedly ordered and funded the cyberhits, went on the lam last year, and remains a fugitive from a federal indictment out of Los Angeles.

the worst part is that this guy is still out there and hasn't been caught yet. hopefully it's only a matter of time before he's nabbed

Pleading Guilty

[Mishra100]

"Under federal sentencing guidelines, Ashley faces 70 to 87 months in prison for his role in the attacks" Unless he pleads non-guilty, which he should. If you plead guilty then they give you the maximum sentence. Non-guilty defendants have a change of arguing a couple of years off their sentence.

Re:Finally

[jcr]

the hacker should get help to find something more worthwhile to do with his time.

IMNSHO, cooling his heels in prison is a much more worthwhile use of his time than what he was doing on the outside.

-jcr

Re:Where is the proof

[bigman2003]

Are you kidding?

If every claim on Slashdot had to be substantiated, and proven...we'd all sit around doing research, and creating bibliographies.

This isn't a peer-reviewed publication. We don't need to prove anything.

Especially to an anonymous coward.

(By the way- I know that AC. And his mom sleeps with anonymous men she meets in chat rooms.)

Stopping this altogether: You can do it now.

[twitter]

Is there anything that is being implemented to eliminate DDOS attacks altogether?

Two things are being done. First, the FBI is nailing inept perpetrators as they can. This is like trying to cure a flea infestation by pinching the fleas off your friend's back. The second, more effective thing is the replacement of Windoze. Without Windoze, there will be no botnet. If you are new here, I suggest you get one of the following to improve your computing experience and help stamp out the weakness that will destroy the net:

• Mepis, auto configures and runs live off CD. If you like it, the "install me" button does it's business in 20 minutes.
• Xandros, what's left of Correl Linux, even easier for Windoze refugees with as much of the look and feel as possible.
• Fedora, Red Hat's free software offering.
• Debian Proper, harder than the others to set up but of much higher quality and easier to maintain.

With so many choices, there will never be Windoze type problems on free software. The exploits will not carry into more than 10% of the install base at a time. Go get some and take a bite out of crime.

Cracker Jack

[Doc Ruby]

Roby and the rest of his cracker gang are criminals and deserve jailtime when they're proven guilty. But the cops caught these guys because all they had to use to get away was a measly $1000. The guy who hired them, Echouafni, is "on the lam", because he's got the money to hide. So the cops and prosecutors will pounce all over Roby, because he's an easy target. Will the keystone kops take any heat for not getting Echouafni, who will easily find other people who are "brilliant in one area, but absolutely lacking in common sense in others"?