[ISN] Computer Hacker Sentenced to Nearly Four Years

[InfoSec News]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBPTMMGO6E.html

The Associated Press 
March 23, 2005 

CINCINNATI (AP) - A man who pleaded guilty to hacking into an Arkansas 
data company's computer system and stealing personal identification 
files was sentenced Wednesday to nearly four years in federal prison. 
Daniel J. Baas, 26, of suburban Milford, entered his plea in December 
2003, after being indicted that August. 

Baas was a systems administrator for Market Intelligence Group, which 
had an agreement to analyze data for Acxiom Corp., of Little Rock, 
Ark., when he exceeded his authorized access and downloaded encrypted 
password files, prosecutors said. 

In a plea agreement, Baas admitted that he stole the data between 
January 2001 and January 2003 and stored it on computer disks at his 
home, prosecutors said. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott 
sentenced Baas to 45 months in prison. 

Acxiom's clients include credit card issuers, banks, auto 
manufacturers, telecommunications companies and retailers. Baas 
bragged to other hackers that he had the files, but didn't share them 
with anyone, prosecutors said. 

Acxiom said Baas' intrusion and theft of about 300 computer passwords 
and files cost the company $5.8 million, prosecutors said. 

That includes employees' time and travel expenses, payments for 
security audits and encryption software, and the amount that Baas 
would have been charged had he obtained the information legitimately 
as an Acxiom customer, the company said.