When hackers breached Symantec’s security systems, the company was left in a bind. That’s why they tried to offer $50,000 in exchange for their stolen code. The hackers had taken source code from the company’s PCAnywhere and Norton Antivirus software….

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Technologist Cynthia Hsu, Esq.

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet.The hacking of commercial websites can have real world consequences. Case in point: http://www.lush.co.uk The United Kingdom website for Lush, a cosmetics retailer, voluntarily…

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Technologist Laura Strachan

In today’s world, where fraud is just a mouse click away, it’s nice to know that every so often the good guys win.  Three international hackers were indicted by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) last week for trying to steal and sell credit card information from customers of Dave & Buster’s, the popular restaurant/entertainment chain.

According to the indictment, the hackers were able to install “packet sniffers” on many of the company’s servers to copy credit card information as it traveled between restaurants and Dave & Buster’s corporate headquarters in Dallas.  The company detected the intrusion and alerted the authorities, but not before 5,000 credit/debit card numbers were stolen and sold to other criminals to make fraudulent purchases.

One of the foreign hackers was arrested in Miami.  No problem there.  The other two, however, were arrested in the Ukraine and in Germany by those countries’ authorities.  It’s certainly not a done deal yet.  The DOJ is seeking the extradition of the other two, but no word yet whether those efforts will be successful. 

While these sorts of arrests are still few and far between given the magnitude of data theft and online fraud, it’s a start.  The DOJ is obviously taking the problem seriously.  Hopefully, other countries will too and the cooperation will continue.  With any luck, if these hackers are extradited, tried, and found guilty, the court will make an example out of them.