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A US computer hacker has been handed down the longest ever cyber sentence of nine years for breaking into the unsecured Wi-Fi network of Lowe’s Incorporated, the nationwide retailer. 21-year-old Brian Salcedo was reportedly facing up to 25 years in prison for pleading guilty to conspiracy and other related hacking charges. But last-minute pleas from the US government, means he will receive only nine years, for his part in the unsuccessful bid to get credit card data after compromising a Wi-Fi network. Prosecutors in North California said Salcedo was one of three men who installed a program on the central computer system of several of Lowe’s stores, so it would capture details of credit card transactions. Personnel at Lowe’s exposed the scam, after a server crash at the point of sale alerted the retailer that something was wrong. It is understood that the hackers were unsuccessful in netting card information or cash, but the government estimated they could have caused up to $2.5m in financial damage. Judges reflected this estimate in their harsh nine-year jail term, which the FBI said was the first criminal conviction under the country’s Can Spam Act. Authorities said it replaces the ‘longest sentence’ for computer crime, imposed on hacker Kevin Mitnick, who received a 68-month sentence. The attackers of Lowe’s were reportedly found sitting in the car outside a regional store, armed with a long-range antenna, wireless card and laptop PC. Salcedo’s partners in crime, Adam Botbyl and Nicholas Timmins, have also admitted to wardriving – in which a hacker cruises around in their car searching out defenceless Wireless networks. Associated Press reports that the men are among the first people in the US cyber history to be charged with such offences. Dec 17, 2004 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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