Full FeedHacker pleads guilty to 20 credit card and hacking charges
The hacker accused of running a massive data theft operation responsible for breaches at TJ Maxx, BJ’s Wholesales, and several other major U.S. retailers has pleaded guilty to 19 charges related to credit card fraud and and hacking and 1 charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
“Computer hacking and identity theft pose serious risks to our commercial, personal and financial security,” Benton Campbell, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “Hackers, including those who commit their crimes from abroad, will find no refuge from the reach of U.S. criminal justice—they will be found, prosecuted and convicted.”
Albert Gonzalez and his gang stole over 40 million credit and debit card numbers from the above retailers and Boston Market, Barnes and Noble, Office Max and Sports Authority and also hacked into the computer system of popular restaurant chain Dave & Busters. The numbers were stolen via a variety of techniques including war driving and sniffer programs. Gonzalez is also facing charges of being responsible for the Heartland Payment Systems breach, the largest in U.S. history. Over 130 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen via SQL injection attacks in that case.
It’s not known exactly how much the gang managed to steal but it’s believed to be in the tens of thousands at least. Gonzalez faces up to 25 years in prison, millions in fines, and was forced to forfeit over $2.7 million ($1 million of which was cash buried in his backyard) , real estate, a BMW, Rolex watch, and Tiffany diamond ring. He will be sentenced on Dec, 8th.
Read [PCWorld]
Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - 
Subscribe to our feed
Black Friday 2009
Black Friday is almost here! Gadgetell's got you covered with all the latest news on who's offering the best deals. Dangerous crowds? You're on your own.
Palm Pre Information & Updates
Palm just introduced their next-gen smartphone, the Palm Pre, and next-gen operating system, Palm webOS. Gadgetell's got the latest Pre and webOS information and news for you right here.
There is a new security software that is able to detect hackers before they cause damage to your web system. The service is called Xyber Shield, http://www.xybershield.com. With the current trend in hacking it is important for business to protect themselves even more than before. Previous software and firewalls detect the hacker after they have already infiltrated the system. Xyber shield detects the behavior of users, in real time, to see if malicious activity is occurring. This hacker used SQL injection which is one of the many hacking techniques that Xyber Shield can prevent. I suggest checking out the website for more information.
on September 14, 2009 at 12:53 PM - LINKits best site
on October 2, 2009 at 08:50 AM - LINK