The court in Boston has the kabelmodemhacker Ryan Harris found guilty. Harris, also known as “DerEngel,” large-scale modified cable modems and software have been sold illegally gave access to the internet.
DerEngel is found guilty to computer intrusion, wire fraud and conspiracy. Harris would be through his company TCNiSO for years, thousands of custom cable modems have sold that the buyer may be made at no cost via a cable connection to access the internet. Also could the custom modems speed and downloadlimieten of a provider can be circumvented.
The packetsniffer software that Harris developed under the name Coax Thief, made it possible to the mac address and configuration files of neighboring cable modems to steal. The hacker asked to $ 100 for a rooted cable modem and the corresponding software. Also provided Harris through a forum support.
According to the public prosecutors made DerEngel it is possible that third parties illegally posing as a paying subscriber. Harris stated, however, that his modifications to the cable modems to be legal and that the buyer is responsible for possible abuse. The court rejected the argument of DerEngel, however, and has the hacker on all charges found guilty. The penalty will be on the 23rd of may to be announced. Harris risks a prison sentence of up to twenty years and a fine of $ 250,000.
The case of DerEngel is not; in 2009, Thomas Swingler indicted for selling gemodde docsis-cable modems from the company Motorola.