July 02, 2009, 7:08 AM — In this era of data breaches and cyberterrorism, there’s so much harm that can be done over the Internet that it’s hard to imagine going back to the days when hackers cracked the good old phone network. But that’s exactly what a 19-year-old blind teen from the Boston area did, and his hacking got him eleven years in prison.
The actions of this youth and his group of swatters – phone hackers who dial prank 911 emergency calls and use spoofing technology to make it look like the call is coming from a victim’s home, resulting in the police showing up at the supposed victim’s door – demonstrate that cybercriminals don’t need to steal data or infect Web sites with malware to do harm. It can still be done the old fashioned way.
This group of swatters terrorized people all over the country by having SWAT teams arrive at their door, costing law enforcement thousands of dollars. They often targeted people they knew, cutting phone lines or eavesdropping on calls. They used social engineering to trick phone workers into giving out account information, and traded stolen data with other hackers.
Hacking phone lines seems retro these days, but proves that a young man who has great swindling skills, detailed knowledge of telephone switches, and an ax to grind can do a lot of harm.
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