A hacker in eastern Pennsylvania came up with a unique entrepreneurial idea. He hacked into a couple of supercomputers and started selling access to them online. Sadly, an undercover FBI agent was among the first of his clients.
Andrew James Miller was able to hack into a number of Massachussets-based computers. This, in turn, allowed him to access supercomputers located at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Considering this a rare opportunity, Miller decided to sell access to these supercomputers online, hoping that many would want it.
Miller demanded a whopping $50,000 for such access, which is understandable given that the aforementioned supercomputers are among the most powerful computing machines in the entire world. Sadly, the very first client that he had was an undercover FBI agent.
Before soon, Miller’s location was traced and he was standing in a federal court, facing a number of charges including computer fraud. Eventually, Miller was able to manage an early plea deal and was awarded a sentence of 18 months in prison, which is a tap on the wrist compared to other sentences that the courts have awarded to numerous other hackers in recent months.
Interestingly, as is the case with nearly all hacker arrests, one of Miller’s close associates helped out the prosecution and provided valuable information about Miller’s hack.
Source: Department of Justice
Courtesy: The Verge
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