'Iceman' Gets 13 Years For 2nd Hacking Offense 289
Hugh Pickens writes "Computerworld reports that Max Ray Butler, who used the hacker pseudonym Iceman, has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for hacking into financial institutions and stealing credit card account numbers, the longest known sentence ever handed down for hacking charges. This isn't Butler's first time facing a federal hacking sentence. After a promising start as a security consultant who did volunteer work for the FBI, Butler was arrested for writing malicious software that installed a back-door program on computers — including some on federal government networks — that were susceptible to a security hole. Butler served an 18-month prison term for the crime and fell on hard times after his 2002 release. In desperation, he turned again to cybercrime and by the time of his arrest in September 2007, he had built the largest marketplace for stolen credit and debit card information in the world."
READ THE FUCKING SUMMARY (Score:2, Informative)
Well, it could be good for him (Score:2, Informative)
He won't have to worry about where his next meal will be coming from or whether he can pay the rent....
Re:Good. (Score:5, Informative)
I hope that he has to serve the full sentence, and doesn't get out on parole. Credit card fraud is not fun. I can only hope that more people convicted of credit card fraud receive sentences like this.
Yeah, blame the criminals for exploiting a system designed to dispense cash based solely on a 4 digit number; That makes sense. Credit card fraud wouldn't happen nearly to the degree it does if financial institutions had designed the system to be more resiliant to attack. And by more resiliant, I mean doing something other than coating the cash in BBQ sauce and waving it in front of the hungry and unemployed masses while chanting "Hell no, we won't upgrade!"
Oh wow, so I guess by your logic, I should not blame the person who broke into my car and stole just because the lock wasn't designed against simple lock-picking (it isn't hard to pick a lock.)
Blame the faults of the implementation of a technology, and absolve the criminal of his own personal and moral responsibility. Awesome display of stupidity.
This is often refered to as 'the poor victim mentality' over here, and seems to work from the basic premise that the criminal has become a criminal because society at large has failed him/her somehow... it's a lot of vawing hands and requests to ignore the man behind the curtain, but somehow the criminal commits crime as a plea for help. This is the same logic that lays behind blaming the rape victim for the fact that the rapist raped them - if they hadn't shown so much naked skin, the poor, misunderstood rapist would have been able to control himself...
I guess stealing at least 27.5 million US dollars (the amounth he has to reimburse the victims with) and setting up a online shop for selling credit card information is a very, very loud plea for help. Or possible a sign of a well developed sence of greed and a belief in that you couldn't be caught - if we were to blame the criminal, that is.
And off course the criminal is to blame. After all, most of us don't break the laws - even if we have the knowledge to do so. The ones who do break them break them willingly and with intent; most of them with a reasonable knowledge that what they are doing is wrong and will be punished.
Which is not to say that the credit card companies shouldn't try to improve the security of their cards. Over here most - if not all - banks and credit card companies will send you a code-dongle (BankID [wikipedia.org] - use an online translater to read it if you don't speak Norwegian) that is considered safe - so safe in fact that the banks say they wont hold you responsible if your card is abused online. Downside is off course that it's only supported within Norway, so if I buy something from a non-norwegian online shop I still have to rely on the older, less secure solutions.
Re:Sure it does (Score:3, Informative)
My wife has tried that. She holds a CPA and cant get a job flipping burgers. Why? the "overqualified" bullshit response. They know that the second a real job comes along she will bolt and run. Honestly you have to outright lie to employers today. Hide your experience and education if you might be overqualified.
Re:Good. (Score:3, Informative)
I hope that he has to serve the full sentence, and doesn't get out on parole
Since he's up on federal charges, he'll have to serve a minimum of 85% of his sentence time--about eleven years.
Wired (Score:2, Informative)
Re:long term sentence (Score:3, Informative)
I think had he had abilities, he wouldn't have gotten caught.
Re:Interesting..... (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not saying he's right, but it does highlight something interesting about finding work as an ex-con.
And that is why in the USA, even a 2 week sentence to jail is identical to a life sentence in prison, because a 2 week stay in jail will ruin all of the remaining years of your life (by design)
When you are starving and can't get money legally because the government set it up that way, its obvious what one must do to survive.
Personally I do blame the government for creating directly so much crime that wouldn't happen otherwise.
You see much less of this problem in countries with sane punishments for the harm done.
Jail and prison are supposed to be to keep dangerous people away from a functional society.
Once you start putting anyone and everyone in there with them, from jay walkers to people that just pissed off a cop legally, then any sense of fairness in law is ruined, and you get the outcome we have now.
Just remember, its all by design, proven by the fact our government is well aware of other systems that work much better in that sense, yet the same people claim our current system is perfect. For their goals, I can only assume they are speaking truthfully.
Re:Interesting..... (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, he should have done something moral like working as a defense contractor.
Hardly - he would have never passed the background check.
"Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug."
Re:Good. (Score:4, Informative)
If the person is there in person, then ID check...
Actually doing anything meaningful along that line is against the merchant agreements companies sign to accept credit cards.
From Visa's [visa.com]: