A hacker accused of helping steal information from at least 77,000 personal computers through an online hacking forum called Darkcode pleaded guilty on Monday in a U.S. district court in Pennsylvania, prosecutors said.
Eric Crocker, 39, of Binghamton, New York, was among 12 people indicted in July when the international forum of hackers, or Internet “pirates” who break through software security barriers to steal information, was dismantled by US authorities in cooperation with police from other countries around the world.
Crocker, known online as “Phastman,” pleaded guilty to violating a federal law on online communications violations (the CAN-SPAM Act), the Pittsburgh attorney general’s office said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Crocker used a hacking tool called the “Facebook Spreader” to gain access to protected computers. He and other forum members then sold access to the compromised computers to those who wanted to send commercial messages. They were paid, at times, $200 to $300 for every 10,000 computers they infected.
The court's decision on Crocker's sentence will be made on November 23. It is expected to be up to three years in prison, or a fine of $25,000, or both.
The FBI and the Pittsburgh Attorney General's Office are leading the investigation into the Darkcode forum.
Source: www.nooz.gr
