Alleged hacker indicted by federal jury

[William Knowles <wk () C4I ORG>]

http://www.fosters.com/news2000/nov_00/13/ha1113b.htm

Monday, November 13, 2000

HAMPTON - A local man accused of hacking into the computer system of
his former Portsmouth employer was indicted last week by a federal
grand jury.

Patrick McKenna (no middle initial, age or address available), was
charged with unauthorized computer intrusion, according to a statement
released by U.S. Attorney Paul Gagnon.

The indictment alleges that on multiple occasions between Oct. 20-21,
McKenna remotely accessed the companys server via the Internet without
authorization.

McKenna is alleged to have damaged the system by deleting 675 computer
files, modifying computer access levels, altering billing records and
transmitting e-mails containing false statement to clients and
customers while acting as an authorized representative of the company.

The charges were brought under the federal computer intrusion laws,
Title 18, United States Code Section 1030, which were first enacted by
Congress in 1984, following a probe by the Federal Bureau of
Investigations elite computer intrusion section.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Hampshire, in
connection with the FBI and other federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies, recently launched an initiative regarding the
escalating problem of computer intrusion and intellectual property
theft crimes.

This case is one of the first to result in criminal charges, according
to the statement.

If convicted, McKenna faces up to five years in prison and up to a
$250,000 fine, as well as mandatory court-ordered resititution to the
victim. A trial date has not yet been set.


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