Man Pleads Guilty to Hacking Acxiom Corp.

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1417836,00.asp

By John Nolan
Associated Press Writer 
December 18, 2003   
 
CINCINNATI (AP) - An Ohio man pleaded guilty Thursday to hacking into 
computer records held by Acxiom Corp., a prominent database company 
that analyzes information for many large businesses. 

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Dlott accepted the guilty plea of 
Daniel Baas, 25, of suburban Milford, and ordered him held without 
bond pending sentencing in about two months. 

Federal investigators said Baas gained unauthorized access to an 
Acxiom computer server in Conway, Ark., and downloaded secret access 
passwords and data files belonging to Acxiom customers from January 
2001 to January 2003. Prosecutors said the hacks cost Acxiom at least 
$5.8 million. 

At the time, Baas worked for a Cincinnati company, Market Intelligence 
Group, that had an agreement to analyze data for Acxiom. 

Baas didn't share the proprietary information with anyone, although he 
indicated to others that he had it, federal prosecutors said. The data 
contained personal identification information, investigators said. 

"He was a person who liked to retain data on people," said Robert 
Behlen Jr., an assistant U.S. attorney. 

Baas was motivated by curiosity to steal about 300 computer passwords 
and the data files from Acxiom, but that doesn't excuse him under the 
law that forbids unauthorized access to computers, defense lawyer 
Timothy Smith said. 

Clients of Acxiom, based in Little Rock, include credit card issuers, 
banks, auto manufacturers, telecommunications companies and retailers. 
The company has said about 10 percent of its customers were affected 
by Baas' hacking. 

Baas downloaded data from his Cincinnati office and his home, storing 
it on CDs in his home. But the data was not used for criminal or 
commercial purposes, U.S. Attorney Gregory Lockhart said. 

The maximum sentence is five years in prison, but prosecutors said 
Baas is likely to get less because he has accepted responsibility and 
cooperated with investigators. 

Baas also is awaiting trial on similar Ohio charges. 

In exchange for Baas' plea Thursday, the government said it agreed not 
to prosecute him for comments he allegedly made concerning President 
Bush through Internet chat rooms. Prosecutors didn't reveal those 
remarks, but said that investigators determined they did not amount to 
a legitimate threat. 

 

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