:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 9.08.2003 ::

:: On the run ::

'Homeless hacker' may surrender to FBI
By Declan McCullagh
CNET News.com
Adrian Lamo, the so-called homeless hacker who claims responsibility for a series of high-profile electronic intrusions over the last two years, is negotiating with the FBI to surrender over criminal charges.

(In an incident confirmed by New York Times Digital), Lamo was able to view employee records, including Social Security numbers. He was also able to access the contact information for the paper's sources and columnists, including such well-known contributors as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Marine Col. Oliver North and hip-hop artist Queen Latifah.

Lamo also claims to be responsible for intrusions into systems at MCI WorldCom in December 2001, Microsoft in October 2001, Yahoo in September 2001, and Excite@Home in May 2001. When he entered Yahoo's system, Lamo found he was able to alter news articles on the company's site.

Many, if not all, of these intrusions appear to violate the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which calls for punishment of anyone who "intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access" with fines and between one and five years in prison, depending on the charges.

In addition to these intrusions, Lamo is known for his homeless-hacker lifestyle. He has no fixed address, and instead wanders around the United States on Greyhound buses, sleeping on friends' couches and, when necessary, staying in vacant or derelict buildings. Especially now that he knows the FBI is after him, Lamo said: "I'm in constant motion. Like Saddam Hussein, no two nights in one place."

posted by me

:: 11:30:00 AM [+] ::
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