http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/13198711.htm By JIM SMITH smithjm @ phillynews.com Nov. 18, 2005 Federal authorities contend that a computer hacker disrupted his former employer's relief work after the Indian Ocean tsunamis that killed thousands. The alleged hacker, Nicholas Giovanni, who had worked as a "Webmaster" for International SOS Assistance Inc., a private firm headquartered in Trevose, Bucks County, yesterday was charged with "computer intrusion" by a federal grand jury in Philadelphia. Giovanni, a former New Jersey resident, "chose to launch an attack [on his former employer's computer] during one of the worst natural disasters in the history of civilization," said U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan, announcing the new criminal case. "Because of his actions, people who were reaching out for help via the Internet couldn't get it," the area's top federal lawman added. Meehan said the company "is set up so people" in a disaster zone "can access vital medical-assistance information online. "You had people in the midst of an unimaginable catastrophe desperately seeking online information and not being able to get it because the system was down," added Meehan. Giovanni had worked for the victimized firm as a "senior developer and Webmaster" for about five years, until Nov. 9, 2004. He lost his job just weeks before the deadly wave struck. Before his termination, he allegedly created a "Trojan Horse" in the company's computer system. This enabled him to secretly access the system before and after his dismissal, when he moved to California, according to the grand jury indictment. Before the tsunami struck, Giovanni "altered the main SOS Web site, adding a 'skull and crossbones' graphic to the upper left corner of the page," the indictment charged. The day the tsunami struck, drowning victims from Somalia to Thailand, he allegedly "completely disabled access to the vital functions of the SOS Web site," the grand jury noted. The company got its Web site up and running quickly, but had to spend more than $100,000 to unravel the hacker's handiwork, according to the indictment. Giovanni, 37, of Dublin, Calif., and his San Francisco lawyer, Ed Swanson, could not be reached for comment yesterday. _________________________________________ Earn your Master's degree in Information Security ONLINE www.msia.norwich.edu/csi Study IA management practices and the latest infosec issues. Norwich University is an NSA Center of Excellence.
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