Man Admits to Hacking if Not Hired In

Hungarian man Attila Nemeth, 26, has admitted to hacking charges after allegedly installing malware onto the computers of Marriott International Corp. on demand that the company otherwise recruit him as its network-caretaker, published GSN on November 23, 2011.

Earlier on January 17, 2011, cops had arrested Nemeth at Virginia's Dulles airport when he flew from Hungary to USA for apparently giving a job interview.

In his plea agreement, Nemeth revealed that in late-2010, he dispatched one electronic mail to Marriott telling he had acquired the company's proprietary information, which he'd disclose unless he was hired as the computer maintenance employee at Marriott.

When Nemeth didn't get a reply, he dispatched another e-mail on November 13, 2010 that carried 8 file-attachments of which 7 understandably were documents saved inside a Marriot computer, the DoJ (Department-of-Justice) stated, November 23, 2011.

The accused further admitted that using one malware-laced e-mail attachment he dispatched to certain employees at Marriott, he managed to load the malware on Marriott's PC, which enabled him to get a "backdoor" access and subsequently reach the proprietary e-mail as well as other files of the company.

Furthermore, DoJ said that Nemeth showed precisely the way he acquired admission into the Marriott's computers; the continued capability of him for doing so; and the place where Marriott's proprietary information was kept on the PC-server inside Hungary.

An agent of the U.S. Secret Service (USS) pretending to represent the HR group of Marriott started an interaction with Nemeth following which Nemeth came to USA via a Marriott-purchased airlines ticket for the interview.

The USS is the investigator of the case with the prosecutor as Anthony V. Teelucksingh, Special Assistant U.S Attorney, whom the DoJ Crime Unit's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Division has assigned.

Now, Nemeth may be sentenced to imprisonment for up to 10-yrs on charges that he transmitted the malware, as well as up to 5-yrs on charges he threatened to give away proprietary and other confidential information to outside entities incase Marriott didn't recruit him. However, till on February 3, 2012, when Nemeth is scheduled for hearing the judgment at 11am, he continues to remain arrested.

Related article: Man Sues and Wins against ISP for Spamming Mail

» SPAMfighter News - 11/29/2011