Post by Nightwalker on Jan 25, 2006 17:03:02 GMT -5
A 20-year-old hacker has pleaded guilty to grabbing control of hundreds of thousands of Internet-connected computers, using the zombie network to serve pop-up ads, and renting it out to those who wanted to mount attacks on websites or send out spam.
California-based Jeanson James Ancheta admitted to charges, including infecting machines at 2 US military sites, which earned him a booty of over $61,000.
Under a plea agreement yet-to-be-approved, Ancheta faces up to six years in prison; he must forfeit a 1993 BMW and over $58,000 in profits; plus pay $19,000 in restitution to the federal government. The sentence is due for hearing on May 1.
Apparently this is the first case to target profits derived from the use of "botnets" to send out spam or subject other servers to denial of service (DOS) attacks. Typically the "zombie" machine owners are unaware that parasitic programs have been installed on their machines.
Authorities say that Ancheta's online business started in June 2004, and continued even after FBI agents raided his house 14 months later.
Interestingly Ancheta's admission of guilt comes less than a week after the FBI released a scorching report indicating that viruses, worms and Trojan horse programs cost US organizations approximately $11.9 billion every year.
(source: www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=70875&cat_id=582 )
California-based Jeanson James Ancheta admitted to charges, including infecting machines at 2 US military sites, which earned him a booty of over $61,000.
Under a plea agreement yet-to-be-approved, Ancheta faces up to six years in prison; he must forfeit a 1993 BMW and over $58,000 in profits; plus pay $19,000 in restitution to the federal government. The sentence is due for hearing on May 1.
Apparently this is the first case to target profits derived from the use of "botnets" to send out spam or subject other servers to denial of service (DOS) attacks. Typically the "zombie" machine owners are unaware that parasitic programs have been installed on their machines.
Authorities say that Ancheta's online business started in June 2004, and continued even after FBI agents raided his house 14 months later.
Interestingly Ancheta's admission of guilt comes less than a week after the FBI released a scorching report indicating that viruses, worms and Trojan horse programs cost US organizations approximately $11.9 billion every year.
(source: www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=70875&cat_id=582 )
