By Andy McCue, 2 February 2004 18:00
NEWS A University of Exeter student who hacked into US Department of Energy computers responsible for US energy supplies and for the integrity and safety of US nuclear weapons has been sentenced to 200 hours community service at Southwark Crown Court.
Joseph James McElroy, 18, of Woodford Green in London, was found guilty of unauthorised modification of computer data and impairing the performance of a computer under section three of the 1990 Computer Misuse Act at Bow Street Magistrates in December.
Sentencing, Judge Goymer told McElroy that it was understandable that the US government at first thought a terrorist attempt had been made to compromise their computers.
McElroy had accessed 17 computers at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Chicago in June 2002, which contained both classified and non-classified atomic weapons and research data.
But he had only used spare storage space on the labs computers and broadband access to upload pirated movies, software and games for him and his friends to use. He had also password protected this space.
Lab staff only noticed they had been compromised when back-ups started slowing down and taking much longer than usual. An investigation involving US authorities and Scotland Yard's computer crime unit uncovered McElroy's email address and he was arrested in July last year.
The US government was claiming £21,215 in costs for the three days it took to clean and repair the hard drives, during which time vital research data was unavailable.
Judge Goymer said McElroy had no means to pay those costs as he had already accrued £3,000 in student debts in his first year at university.
But he said this should be a warning to those who think hacking into computers is a "joke" or a "hobby" and that anyone in future found guilty of such offences will face custodial sentences.
"This is a serious offence," he said. "Computers are an important feature of life in the 21st century. Government, industry, commerce and a whole variety of other industries rely on the integrity and reliability of their computers in order that their proper and legitimate activities can be carried out."
The court ordered that all the pirated software, movies and games found on McElroy's computers be destroyed.
Comments
There are 15 comments. Join the discussion
1. simon warne
If I was the Director of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory I would hire this guy immediately and keep him busy and close!
2. anonymous
This is a serious offence," says the judge - then gives community service for an attack that sparked a US nuclear terror alert.
Was this Judge Hutton again?
3. Hugh Bracey
This certainly has the hallmark of a badly advised or computer illiterate judge.
Destroying all pirated software on the students computer will only cause him a few hours extra work replacing it. He should have had his computer equipment confiscated and sold, the proceeds being sent to The US to offset against the cost of damage claimed.
4. anonymous
My daily e-mail is mostly ads for viagra and how to extend ones equipment. Maybe plugging great holes in their own systems is beyond them?
Don't winge - fix
5. Jennifer
One cannot help but think that the perpetrator in question has already performed community service; by highlighting quite how easy it is to compromise key US systems. The seriousness is not in the crime committed, but the fact that he was able to commit it in the first place. Since it sparked a terror alert, good for him; again highlighting how important it is that these systems be secure, which they obviously were not. Congratulations.
6. David Hoffman
How does the criminality of a youth's irresponsible trespass into nuclear research cyberspace stack up, compared to the criminality of creating Nuclear Weapons - or of promoting a fullscale invasion based on fraudulent claims that the "enemy" has nuclear arms? How serious are British and US courts about preventing those crimes?
7. anonymous
Great , community service...
He should be in PRISON....
F**K LOW LIFE HACKERS..
Losers, and children with small d*ck issues.
8. Mike Poole
£21k for pressing deleted to wipe some large files from the lab's hard drives. That's the criminal bit!
9. Kintul Parmar
simon - are u a moron? or did u come out of the wrong hole? why would anyone want to hire a damn kiddie scripter - basically thats what it is - if hes as "GOOD" as u say he is - he wouldn't have been easily traceable like he was - and to the "attorney" plz keep weapons out of this issue - because if you were in school you would have learned that there is more to nuclear then just making weapons thus your stupid comment has no grounds to this article but thanks again for making urself look stupid - and oh yes mr. hoffman please listen to the news and read cnn as you can see most iraqis are happy we invaded and took out their leader - what would u say if we didn't invade iraq and let saddam torture and test biochemical weapons? woud you turn your head the other way? - it's stupid people like that you that give a bad rep. to the USA and shouldn't be attorneys so please STFU.
10. anonymous
How come the system's admin wasn't alerted to the intrusion until the back-up behaviour seemed out of order?
Are there not any procedures for system security checks? Look at irregular internet acivity.
Perhaps we should be focusing more on the people responsible for the system security and ask them "how the?".
It seems to me the teenager had considerable time to upload substantial amount of data.
Perhaps the teenager is a scapegoat for a larger conspiracy. Investigate the teenagers accociates.
If the inforamtion is as crital and vital as it is descibed in this article. I think the case should be re-investigated.
11. anonymous
http://www.silicon.com/software/security/0,39024655,39118145,00.htm
See here for more "reasoned" debate on the subject....
12. Mark
Quote "McElroy had accessed 17 computers at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Chicago in June 2002, which contained both classified and non-classified atomic weapons and research data."
Maybe the American Government should be paying McElroy the £21,000 for finding a back door into their systems!!!
13. anonymous
We should not be angry at U.S. officials. I'm sure there were many firewalls and other defences for the computer network. Nomatter how good computers get there will always be a better human. BUT I HAT THESE HACKERS!!! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH DAMAGE COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED IF THAT PERSON HAD EVIL INTENTS!!?? He could have killed all of us. And that punishment was a little harsh wouldn't you say? (You can't begin to imagine the amount of sarcasm in that last statement.) Sigh, one day technology will be the death of us all.
14. Mark
" - it's stupid people like that you that give a bad rep. to the USA and shouldn't be attorneys so please STFU"
Do us a favour son, grow up learn to read between the lines and not to believe everything your government tells you!! Yes of course all those iraqi families that lost sons kill by american blanket bombing are happy!! OF COURSE THEY ARE.
Of course they are happy being captives of the US and why? cos dubya had a score to settle with saddam! Nothing more nothing less.
Unless dubya can produce the so called WMD's britain and america acted illegally now everyone is asking who appointed america the worlds policeman. Frankly that is generous you're not the worlds policman, your merely the worlds school yard bully but don't worry we're even worse over here we're the bully's flunky!!
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
15. I.K.KHAN
Such a mind should not be punished but try to put him into productive work.