According to the well-known anti-virus company, Norton, a bot is a computer
device that is used for
hacking, it allows the user access into the virus infected computer; another term
being “web robots.” A “botnet” then is considered
to be a large network of these virus infected computers, which can be
located all over the world. Botnets are extremely powerful, and once they
have control of your computer, many things can be placed at risk.
Just last Thursday, a local resident from Phoenix was charged with both
using botnets as well as selling them to users, according to the U.S.
Department of Justice. Joshua Schichtel, 30, has officially been sentenced
to 30 months in prison for his crimes of botneting. It is believed that
this man is also connected to another well-known hacking group that is
located in the District of Columbia. This hacking group mainly targets
businesses, and he was also believed to be connected with another hacking
group known as the DDOS mafia, which directly targeted business owners
through their websites.
Reports show that Schichtel decided to plead guilty to his crime for one
count of attempting to botnet multiple computers, full aware of the damages
that could be caused. Under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, this young
man acknowledged his attempt to hack into computers without accurate authorization,
which is in violation of the law. As a part of his guilty plea, Schichtel
also acknowledged his business of selling these botnets to customers,
and claimed that he installed around 72,000 botnet software’s onto
computers.
As you can see with the penalties that this man now faces because of his
crime, the government takes computer hacking very seriously, and will
seek for extreme punishments for those who are accused. Having an experienced
attorney is crucial if you or someone you know has been accused of a computer
or internet crime. Don’t wait another moment to hire an experienced
criminal defense attorney that you deserve! Contact
Knowles Law Firm today for more information!