IP: Bill Gates Targeted By Hacker

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 09:16:39 -0400
> From: "Gerald Ballman" <ballman () gwmail usna edu>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
> VIAGRA-SALE CYBERPRANK AROUSES GATES' FURY
> Saturday,April 7,2001
> By ANDY SOLTIS
>
>
> A young British hacker obtained Bill Gates' credit card number and used it to
> order Viagra sent to the software czar in an effort to show how vulnerable
> the Internet is, it was reported. Raphael Gray, 19, was arrested by FBI
> agents and British police in his Welsh hometown of Clynderwen and will be
> sentenced for unlawful hacking later this month, The Sun of London reported.
> Gray said he sent Microsoft an e-mail, warning it that cybercrooks can obtain
> the credit card details of people who shop online. When Microsoft showed no
> interest, Gray, then 17, decided to "do something that might grab their
> attention." He said he broke into customer databases of dot-com firms and
> found Gates' credit card number in one of them. Gray ordered the male potency
> drug sent to Gates at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters. "I wanted to
> prove a point," The Sun quoted him as saying. "I sent Bill a lot of Viagra
> and I was disappointed not to get a thank you note for demonstrating the
> insecurity of the site." Gray also posted the credit card number of Gates and
> 23,000 other people on his own Web site. Gray was questioned for 14 hours and
> ultimately agreed to a plea bargain.



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