From: ferguson@icm1.icp.net (Paul Ferguson x2044)
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 93 13:22:45 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Mark Abene (Phiber Optik) sentenced
Message-ID: <9311062120.AA09817@icm1.icp.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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From: risks@csl.sri.com (RISKS Forum)
Newsgroups: comp.risks
Subject: RISKS DIGEST 15.22
Date: 6 Nov 93 01:57:47 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: risks@csl.sri.com
 
 
Date: 04 Nov 93 17:37:14 EST
From: "Mich Kabay / JINBU Corp." <75300.3232@compuserve.com>
Subject:  Master of Disaster Phiber Optik sentenced
 
  Mark Abene, 21, widely known as Phiber Optik, was sentenced to a year and a
  day in prison.  He will serve 600 hours of community service.  He pleaded
  guilty last July to conspiracy, wire fraud and other federal charges
  relating to his activities as one of five Masters of Disaster indicted for
  breaking into telephone, educational, and commercial computer systems.
  [Perhaps in a few years more, they will be Doctors of Disaster?]  [PGN
  Excerpting Service, drawn from the Associated Press and Reuters, both on 3
  November 1993]
 
The Reuter article give background information, including
 
o the charges against MoD marked the first use of wiretaps to record both
  conversations and datacomm by accused hackers.
 
o the hackers attacked phone switching computers belonging to Southwestern
  Bell, New York Telephone, Pacific Bell, U.S. West and Martin Marietta
  Electronics Information and Missile Group.
 
o they broke into credit-status reporting companies including TRW, Trans
  Union and Information America, stealing at least 176 TRW credit reports.
 
o the young men were apparently competing with each other and other
  hacker groups for "rep" (reputation) and were also interested in
  harassing people they didn't like.
 
o the Reuter article mentions that "they wiped out almost all of the
  information contained on a system operated by the Public Broadcasting
  System affiliate in New York, WNET, that provided educational
  materials to schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut" and
  left the message, ""Happy Thanksgiving you turkeys, from all of us at MOD."
 
Michel E. Kabay, Ph.D., Director of Education, National Computer Security Assn
 

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Cheers.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Paul Ferguson                                                               
Mindbank Consulting Group                                    fergp@sytex.com   
Fairfax, Virginia  USA                                       ferguson@icp.net