cyber crime
Seattle men behind cyber-crime spree sentenced to prison
Posted by Mike Carter on May 10, 2012 at 3:57 PM
Two Seattle men at the heart of a cyber-crime spree that involved both high technology and broken glass and jimmied locks were given long prison terms today by a federal judge.
The men, John Earl Griffin, 36, and Brad Eugene Lowe, 39, used a technology called “wardriving” in which they cruised around in a vehicle equipped with a powerful wi-fi receiver to detect business wireless networks. They then would hack into the company’s network from outside, cracking the security code and accessing company computers and information.
In other cases, they would physically break into the company and install “malware” on a computer designed to “sniff out” passwords and security codes and relay that information back to the thieves.
They then would strike quickly by accessing company accounts with other businesses like Amazon.com or eBay and charging expensive items, or in some cases actually getting into a company’s payroll.
In more than one instance, they would divert automatic payroll deposits to newly created bank accounts, load it onto debit cards and buy items like Rolex watches or engines for their cars.
U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said the men hacked or burglarized more than 50 local businesses, resulting in losses of more than $3 million. The crime spree went on for nearly three years before it was cracked by Seattle police.
Griffin was sentenced to 95 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones. Lowe received a 78-month sentence.
A third defendant, Joshua Allen Witt, pleaded guilty last month and is set for sentencing in June.
It took nearly three years, but Seattle police detectives say they’ve unraveled a theft ring that operated both in cyberspace and through old-fashioned burglaries with a technological twist — breaking into a company with the sole purpose of installing malicious software to enable future thefts.
Federal prosecutors have indicted
Posted by Mike Carter on May 10, 2012 at 3:57 PM
Two Seattle men at the heart of a cyber-crime spree that involved both high technology and broken glass and jimmied locks were given long prison terms today by a federal judge.
The men, John Earl Griffin, 36, and Brad Eugene Lowe, 39, used a technology called “wardriving” in which they cruised around in a vehicle equipped with a powerful wi-fi receiver to detect business wireless networks. They then would hack into the company’s network from outside, cracking the security code and accessing company computers and information.
In other cases, they would physically break into the company and install “malware” on a computer designed to “sniff out” passwords and security codes and relay that information back to the thieves.
They then would strike quickly by accessing company accounts with other businesses like Amazon.com or eBay and charging expensive items, or in some cases actually getting into a company’s payroll.
In more than one instance, they would divert automatic payroll deposits to newly created bank accounts, load it onto debit cards and buy items like Rolex watches or engines for their cars.
U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said the men hacked or burglarized more than 50 local businesses, resulting in losses of more than $3 million. The crime spree went on for nearly three years before it was cracked by Seattle police.
Griffin was sentenced to 95 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones. Lowe received a 78-month sentence.
A third defendant, Joshua Allen Witt, pleaded guilty last month and is set for sentencing in June.
It took nearly three years, but Seattle police detectives say they’ve unraveled a theft ring that operated both in cyberspace and through old-fashioned burglaries with a technological twist — breaking into a company with the sole purpose of installing malicious software to enable future thefts.
Federal prosecutors have indicted