Jail time for UK hackers

Two UK men have received jail terms for conspiring to create a computer worm for an international hacking group.

Jordan Bradley, a 22-year-old electrician from Darlington, was sentenced to three months at Newcastle Crown Court after pleading guilty to "unauthorized modifications to the contents of computers with the intent to impair the operation."

Andrew Harvey, an unemployed 23-year-old from Durham, was sentenced to six months after pleading guilty to the same charges.

The two were identified by the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) as members of the hacking group "THr34t Krew."

The self-replicating virus, known as the TK worm, created a rogue network of compromised PCs that Justice Bolton said was "unquantifiable." The hackers were able to control the network and use it to perform denial-of-service attacks on Web sites, police said.

Detective Superintendent Mick Deats, deputy head of the NHTCU, said in a statement: "Over the past year, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit has seen a sustained increase in the professionalism of cybercriminals. Companies are taking the brunt of their attempts to steal money and data, but consumers are also being hit. I hope that these sentences deliver a tough message."

Bradley and Harvey were arrested in February 2003 at the same time as 21-year-old American Raymond Stegerwalt. Stegerwalt was sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined $12,000 by the U.S. Department of Defense, which said it suffered damages from the worm.

Dan Ilett of Silicon.com reported from London.

[amanraheja]

Stop calling 'em hackers

Media is already responsible for the real meaning of hackers - could you stop doing so at some point. FYI: Hackers are people who have inside out knowledge of system, software, hardware, network etc and find holes in them and inform with all ethics to the owner to fix the problem - THEY are not the crooks you are refering in this article. GET OVER IT!
Thanks

[aabcdefghij987654321]

Hackers

Trying to make a hackers/crackers difference is a rebranding problem. The original "hackers" were not very scrupulous and so the term has carried on. Those who want a different label should try looking at terms like "professional" which imply respect for the rest of the world instead of the disdain that making a new term only for their own use.

Stop complaining

Hackers, have different ethics. Just as normal people. Someone may say picking up 20 dollars someone dropped is unethical, because it is not yours, but you may say, they wont miss it, or they lost it and no one is around.. that doesnt change the definition. A hacker, thanks to the media, has many definitions. You are refeering more to a Dudley DoRight hacker. A hacker is simply a person with advanced knowledge of a computer. Off of that you can branch.. Crackers; people who break computer security, etc. Just because you comply with one set of ethics does not mean it applies to others.

[amanraheja]

Stop calling 'em hackers

Media is already responsible for the real meaning of hackers - could you stop doing so at some point. FYI: Hackers are people who have inside out knowledge of system, software, hardware, network etc and find holes in them and inform with all ethics to the owner to fix the problem - THEY are not the crooks you are refering in this article. GET OVER IT!
Thanks

[aabcdefghij987654321]

Hackers

Trying to make a hackers/crackers difference is a rebranding problem. The original "hackers" were not very scrupulous and so the term has carried on. Those who want a different label should try looking at terms like "professional" which imply respect for the rest of the world instead of the disdain that making a new term only for their own use.

Stop complaining

Hackers, have different ethics. Just as normal people. Someone may say picking up 20 dollars someone dropped is unethical, because it is not yours, but you may say, they wont miss it, or they lost it and no one is around.. that doesnt change the definition. A hacker, thanks to the media, has many definitions. You are refeering more to a Dudley DoRight hacker. A hacker is simply a person with advanced knowledge of a computer. Off of that you can branch.. Crackers; people who break computer security, etc. Just because you comply with one set of ethics does not mean it applies to others.

[thomcarl]

3 Months?

Given the damage these people do, 3 years hard time isn't enough.

It sends a Message All Right

A 3 month sentence shows these theives that crime pays & people are still regarding this as an innocent prank pulled off by bored teenagers. Make no mistake about it, these people are criminals and should be treated as such.

Man with a Briefcase Will Steal More Money Than Any Man With a Gun..Don Henley.

[thomcarl]

3 Months?

Given the damage these people do, 3 years hard time isn't enough.

It sends a Message All Right

A 3 month sentence shows these theives that crime pays & people are still regarding this as an innocent prank pulled off by bored teenagers. Make no mistake about it, these people are criminals and should be treated as such.

Man with a Briefcase Will Steal More Money Than Any Man With a Gun..Don Henley.

[The Vanish]

What would be the correct name in one word?

What would be the correct name in one word?

[The Vanish]

What would be the correct name in one word?

What would be the correct name in one word?