Fergie's Tech Blog

Update: UK: Tsunami relief hacker convicted

Update:

John Oates writes in The Register that Cuthbert was convicted today:

Daniel James Cuthbert was convicted today of breaking Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 by hacking into a tsunami appeal website last New Year's Eve.

District Judge Mr Quentin Purdy said: "For whatever reason Mr Cuthbert intended to secure access, in an unauthorised way, to that computer...it is with some considerable regret...I find the case proved against Mr Cuthbert." He was fined £400 for the offence and must pay a further £600 in costs.

Horseferry Road Magistrates Court has heard the first day of evidence against the East London man accused of hacking into a donations site for the tsunami appeal last December.

Daniel James Cuthbert, 28, of Whitechapel, London, is accused of breaches of Section One of the Computer Misuse Act, 1990, on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, 2004. He had earlier pleaded not guilty.

Cuthbert is accused of attempting a directory traversal attack on the donate.bt.com site which handles credit card payments on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Giving evidence on his own behalf, Cuthbert, at times near tears, said he had made a £30 donation to the site, after clicking on a banner advert. Because he received no final thank you or confirmation page he became concerned it may have been a phishing site, so he carried out two tests to check the security of the site.

The case continues tomorrow.

posted by Fergie @ 10/06/2005 09:58:00 AM