Computer scientist sentenced eight months for hacking
Computer scientist sentenced eight months for hacking
Former Los Alamos National Laboratory
computer specialist was sentenced to eight months in prison Monday for
hacking into and damaging the computers of several high-tech
companies, including online auction giant eBay.
Jerome T. Heckenkamp, 25, of Santa Monica, pleaded guilty to two
counts in January 2004 to the attacks, which took place before he
joined the laboratory.
Heckenkamp could have faced up to five years in prison but U.S.
District Court Judge James Ware sentenced him to eight months in
prison and eight months of electronic monitoring and home confinement.
He also has to pay $268,291 in restitution and for three years cannot
use a computer with Internet access without approval from a probation
officer.
Heckenkamp admitted breaking into San Jose-based eBay's computers in
February and March 1999, defacing a Web page and installing malicious
programs that captured usernames and passwords that he used to gain
access to other eBay computers.
Heckenkamp also admitted he broke into San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc.'s
computers in late 1999 and installed more so-called "Trojan" programs.
At the time, he was a student at the University of Wisconsin at
Madison.
He was arrested in January 2001 and lost his job at Los Alamos.
In the sentence, the judge also considered losses from other
companies' computers Heckenkamp was charged with accessing. They
include Exodus Communications, Juniper Networks, Lycos, and Cygnus
Solutions.
Heckenkamp must report to prison on July 11.
