List of computer criminals

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v t e

Hacker Adrian Lamo (left) with contemporaries Kevin Mitnick (center) and Kevin Poulsen

Mark Abene, who was convicted of i computer charges

Convicted computer criminals are people who are caught and convicted of computer crimes such as breaking into computers orcomputer networks.^[1] Computer crime can be broadly defined as criminal activity involving information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of non-public transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or suppression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (or identity theft) and electronic fraud.^[2]

In the infancy of the hacker subculture and the computer underground,^[3] criminal convictions were rare because there was an informal code of ethics that was followed by white hat hackers.^[4] Proponents of hacking claim to be motivated by artistic and political ends, but are often unconcerned about the use of criminal means to achieve them.^[5] White hat hackers break past computer security for non-malicious reasons and do no damage, akin to breaking into a house and looking around.^[6] They enjoy learning and working with computer systems, and by this experience gain a deeper understanding of electronic security.^[6] As the computer industry matured, individuals with malicious intentions (black hats) would emerge to exploit computer systems for their own personal profit.^[6]

Convictions of computer crimes, or hacking, began as early as 1983 with the case of The 414s from the 414 area code in Milwaukee. In that case, six teenagers broke into a number of high-profile computer systems, including Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Security Pacific Bank. On May 1, 1983, one of the 414s, Gerald Wondra, was sentenced to two years of probation.^[7]

In 2006, a prison term of nearly five years was handed down to Jeanson James Ancheta, who created hundreds of zombie computers to do his bidding via giant bot networks or botnets.^[8] He then sold the botnets to the highest bidder who in turn used them for Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.^[9]

As of 2012, the longest sentence for computer crimes is that of Albert Gonzalez for 20 years.^[10]

The next longest sentences are those of 13 years for Max Ray Vision,^[11] 108 months of Brian Salcedo in 2004 and upheld in 2006 by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals,^[12][13] and 68 months of Kevin Mitnick in 1999.^[14]

Computer criminals[edit]

Name	Handle	Nationality	Conviction(s)	Sentencing date(s)	Penalty
Mark Abene	Phiber Optik	United States	Misdemeanor theft-of-service for a free-call scam to a 900 number[1] One count of computer trespass and one count of computer conspiracy[15]	1991 1993	35 hours of community service[1] One-year jail sentence[15][16]
Jeanson James Ancheta	Gobo	United States	Pled guilty to four federal charges of violating United States Code Section 1030, Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers, specifically subsections (a)(5)(A)(i), 1030 (a)(5)(B)(i) and 1030(b)[9]	May 8, 2006	57 months in prison, forfeit a 1993 BMW and more than US$58,000 in profit Restitution of US$15,000 to the U.S. federal government for infecting military computers[17][18]
Julian Paul Assange	Mendax / profff	Australia	31 charges of hacking and related charges. pleaded guilty to 25 charges, the remaining 6 were dropped.[19]	December 5, 1996	A recorded conviction on all counts, a reparation payment of A$2,100 to ANU (to be paid in 3 months time) and a A$5,000 good-behaviour bond.[20]
Markus Binder	Murf	Australia	Worked with Ripmax and was also arrested. He was charged with 34 charges of telecommunications fraud (phreaking).[21][22]	May 1, 1992	Served a three-year $10,000 good-behavior bond, 150 hours of community service and fined $2000[22][23]
Adam Botbyl	—	United States	Conspiracy to steal credit card numbers from theLowe's chain of home improvement stores[24]	December 16, 2004	Two years and two months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release[25]
Michael Calce	MafiaBoy	Canada	Pled guilty to 56 charges of "mischief to data"[26][27]	September 12, 2001	Eight months "open custody", by the Montreal Youth Court, one year of probation, restricted use of the Internet and a small fine[27][28]
Chad Davis	Mindphasr	United States	Intentionally hacking a protected computer and willfully causing damage[29]	March 1, 2000	Six months in prison, US$8,054 in restitution and three years probation[29]
Nahshon Even-Chaim	Phoenix	Australia	15 charges including trespassing on the University of Texas computer network, altering data at NASA and the theft of the ZARDOZ file[30]	1993	One-year suspended sentence: A$1,000 good-behaviour bond and 500 hours community service[30]
Raphael Gray	Curador	United Kingdom	Pled guilty to theft and hacking offenses which fall under the Computer Misuse Act and six charges of intentionally accessing sites containing credit card details and using this information for financial gain[31]	July 6, 2001	Three years of psychiatric treatment after evidence emerged that he was suffering from a mental condition which needed medical treatment rather than incarceration[32]
Rasmuz Frisenholt	Red Phibes	Sweden	2 charges of government related hacking and violating Swedish law of private security, 1 charge of identity fraud by Id-security. pleaded guilty of all charges accordingly.	October 13, 2012	80 hours of community service 320 hours of government support for the department of security and identity protection
Jerome Heckenkamp	MagicFX	United States	Admitted the hacking and pleaded guilty to two felonies in 2004.[33]	2004	Sentenced to Time Served after spending 7 months in prison.[33]
Jonathan James	c0mrade	United States	Two counts of juvenile delinquency[34]	September 21, 2000	Six-month prison sentence and probation until the age of eighteen[34]
James Jeffery	Pablo Escobar	United Kingdom	Hacked into the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, stole patient information and defaced the webpage. pleaded guilty to 2 counts of computer misuse.[35]	April 13, 2012	32 months imprisonment [35]
Richard Jones	Electron	Australia	Trespassing on the University of Texas computer network and theft of the ZARDOZ file[30]	1993	One year and six months suspended sentence, 300 hours of community service and psychiatric assessment and treatment[30]
Samy Kamkar	samy	United States	Pled guilty to violating California Penal Code 502(c)(8) for creating the "Samy is my hero" XSS worm that spread across the MySpace social networking site[36]	2007	Three years of formal probation, 90 days of community service, restitution paid to MySpace, restrictions on computer use[36]
Nicholas Knight	logic	United States	Pled guilty to one count of "unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of or prevent/hinder access to a computer". Former member of Team Digi7al. Guilty of hacking US Navy, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Library of Congress, and countless other government/educational institutions.	November 21, 2014	Two years imprisonment[37]
Cameron Lacroix	cam0	United States	Pled guilty to hacking into the cell-phone account of celebrity Paris Hilton and participated in an attack on data-collection firm LexisNexis Group that exposed personal records of more than 300,000 consumers[38]	September 13, 2005	11 months in a Massachusetts juvenile detention facility[38]
Adrian Lamo	—	United States	One-count of computer crimes against Microsoft,LexisNexis and The New York Times[39]	July 15, 2004	Six months detention at his parent's home plus two years probation and roughly US$65,000 in restitution[39]
Lewys Martin	sl1nk	United Kingdom	Pled guilty to five counts of "unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of or prevent/hinder access to a computer", two of "unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences", one of "unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences", and one of "unauthorised access to computer material". Hacking attempt on the websites of Kent Police, Cambridge University and Oxford University. Former member of NullCrew and said to have penetrated the servers of Department of Defense (DoD), Pentagon, NASA, NSA, other UK government websites.[40]	May 16, 2013	Two years imprisonment[41]
Kevin Mitnick	Condor	United States	Four counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication[42]	August 9, 1999	46 months in federal prison and US$4,125 in restitution[42]
Dennis Moran	Coolio	United States	Misdemeanor charges of hacking[43]	March 9, 2001	Nine months in jail and US$5,000 in restitution to each victim[43]
Robert Tappan Morris	rtm	United States	Intentional access of federal interest computers without authorization thereby preventing authorized access and causing a loss in excess of US$1,000[44]	Mar 7, 1991	Three years probation and 400 hours of community service in a manner determined by the Probation Office and approved by the Court[44]
Jeffrey Lee Parson	T33kid	United States	Pled guilty on August 11, 2004 to one count of intentionally causing or attempting to cause damage to a protected computer via his version of the Blaster computer worm[45]	January 28, 2005	18 months in prison and 100 hours of community service[46]
Chris Pile	The Black Baron	United Kingdom	Writing and distributing computer viruses	1995	18 months in prison
Kevin Poulsen	Kevin Poulsen	United States	Pled guilty to seven counts of mail, wire and computer fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice[8]	June 1, 1994	51 months in prison and ordered to pay US$56,000 in restitution[8]
Leonard Rose	Terminus	United States	Illicit use of proprietary software (UNIX 3.2 code) owned by AT&T[1] and 2 counts of computer fraud and three counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.[47][48]	June 12, 1991	One-year jail sentence[47][49]
David L. Smith	Kwyjibo	United States	Pled guilty to knowingly spreading a computer virus, the Melissa virus, with the intent to cause damage[50]	May 1, 2002	20 months in federal prison, US$5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service upon release[50]
Ehud Tenenbaum	Analyzer	Israel	Admitted to cracking US and Israeli computers, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wrongful infiltration of computerized material, disruption of computer use and destroying evidence[51]	June 15, 2001	Six months of community service, one year of probation, a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined about US$18,000[51]
Simon Vallor	Gobo	United Kingdom	Writing and distributing three computer viruses[52]	January 21, 2003	Two-year jail sentence[52]
Simon Williamson	Ripmax	Australia	Was arrested in 1992 on 38 charges of Telecommunications fraud (Phreaking).[21][22]	May 1, 1992	served a three-year $10,000 good behavior bond, and was fined $2000, 150 Community Service Hours[22][23]
Jan de Wit	OnTheFly	Netherlands	Spreading data into a computer network with the intention of causing damage as the creator of theAnna Kournikova virus[53]	September 27, 2001	150 hours community service[53][54][55]
Gerald Wondra	The 414s	United States	Unauthorized access to computers at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a Los Angeles bank[7] and two counts of "making harassing telephone calls"[56]	May 1, 1983	Two years probation[7]
unknown	Trax	Australia	6 counts of hacking and phreaking. pleaded guilty to all charges.[57]	September 20, 1995	(Due to a history of mental illness) no recorded conviction and a A$500 three-year good-behaviour bond[58]