Hacking into Army’s computers
Date: October 27, 2006Source: gcn.com
A Wichita, Kan., man has received five years in federal prison for hacking into 13 Army computers to steal credit card numbers and account information.
Matthew R. Decker, 21, was sentenced last week, several months after he pleaded guilty to one count of accessing a protected computer and a single count of possession of unauthorized credit card account access devices.
Decker told authorities he used his home computer to illegally access 12 different Army computers on 17 different occasions, from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, 2003. He stole credit card numbers from 531 Visa and MasterCard account holders, as well as full account information including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and work and home phone numbers.
The computers Decker hacked into were at Fort Monroe, Va.
“Investigators have identified credit card victims defrauded by Mr. Decker in a total amount of $12,557,” U.S. attorney Eric Melgren said in a Justice Department news release. “The costs to the U.S. Army, in terms of responding to the computer theft, conducting damage assessment and restoring data and programs, is another $25,000.”
Among the federal agencies investigating the case were Justice and the Army’s Computer Crime Investigative Unit.
Charges are still pending in another state regarding a co-conspirator in the case.
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