Marriott Hacker Gets Sentenced to Jail

A man from Hungary, on February 3, 2012, was punished with a 30-month jail sentence over a computer-hacking crime he committed against Marriott International Inc. followed with issuing an intimidation that he'd disclose the company's secret information unless it gave him an employment in the company, reported The Wall Street Journal dated February 3, 2012.

Notably, in November last, Attila Nemeth, the defendant admitted to the accusations made against him at a federal court in Maryland. A related plea agreement the court prepared indicated that during 2010, Nemeth acquired entry into the computer system at Marriott having dispatched one electronic mail attachment, to the employees who upon viewing it facilitated the installation of a backdoor malware with which Nemeth accessed the PC-network of the company.

So with successful entry into Marriott International, Nemeth seized the company's proprietary information after which he intimidated that he'll disclose it all else he must be recruited to take care of the company's network security. The demands Nemeth made comprised a Europe-located job worth a $150,000 salary/year, an accommodation in his chosen hotel, air flights free-of-cost to any destination he wished to go, as well as allowing him to work anytime he wanted.

Consequently, when Nemeth flew to USA as also attended the interview he believed would get him a job in Marriott, police arrested him. Actually, the interview served as a secret maneuver of the American Secret Service whose agent pretended to be an employee of Marriott, court documents stated.

Hence, posing as an executive of Marriott, the agent questioned Nemeth the hacker. Nemeth in full faith explained exhaustively the manner in which he had acquired admission into the company's computers, especially the servers that stored the data he stole.

Now, as per the Department-of-Justice, Nemeth's action, involving the installation of twin Trojans that gave him remote control and viewing of Marriott's other system data resulted in considerable loss such as with respect to consultant fees, approximately $1m worth salaries as also other costs related to the intrusion.

A spokesman from Marriott stated that while the company dutifully safeguarded confidential information, there was no compromise of any guest's details.

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» SPAMfighter News - 2/9/2012