[ISN] Inmate hacker locks down jail computers

From: InfoSec News <alerts_at_private>
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:21:53 -0500 (CDT)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/29/inmate_hacker/

By John Leyden
The Register
29th September 2009

A UK prison computer system was left in lockdown after jail bosses gave 
a convicted cybercriminal the task of reprogramming it, the Sunday 
Mirror reports.

Douglas Havard, 27, an inmate at Ranby Prison, Nottinghamshire, was 
asked to take over a project to create an internal TV station using the 
jail's computer network. Havard is half-way through a six year term over 
his involvement in a 6.5m hacking and phishing scam (more details here 
[1]), something the prison governors must have reckoned gave him the 
requisite computer programming skills.

Havard, originally from the US, was jailed in 2005 after he was 
convicted for running the UK end of an international phishing scam 
estimated to have netted up to 6.5m. The American and partner in crime 
Lee Elwood, 25, were jailed after pleading guilty to conspiracy to 
defraud and conspiracy to launder money.

Data dumps of compromised credit card and bank account details were sent 
over from Russia to Havard, who used this information to fraudulently 
purchase goods online. These goods were then sold in online auctions by 
UK-based affiliates with the proceeds, less Havard's cut, sent back to 
Russia. The duo were involved in credit card counterfeiting and active 
on underground websites such as carderplanet and shadowcrew, according 
to investigators.

[1] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/28/phishing_duo_jailed/

[...]


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Received on Wed Sep 30 2009 - 01:21:53 PDT

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