Feds Indict Swede In Cisco, NASA Hacks

source code hacking networking

The 21-year-old Swede also faces a pair of charges for cracking into NASA's network. Both the Cisco and NASA hacks allegedly took place when he was just 16 years old.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Philip Gabriel Pettersson, who also goes by Stakkato, was indicted this week on the intrusion and trade secret theft charges.

The indictment includes one intrusion count and two trade secret misappropriation counts involving San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco. Pettersson allegedly cooked up a scheme and intentionally committed the intrusion between May 12, 2004, and May 13, 2004, hacking into Cisco's network and stealing some Cisco Internetwork Operating System source code.

Cisco told authorities that it does not appear that any customer information, partner information or financial systems were affected in the attacks.

Pettersson also faces two intrusion counts involving NASA. The Justice Department alleges he hacked into computers at the Ames Research Center and the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division in Moffett Field, Calif., three times on May 19, 2004, May 20, 2004, and October 22, 2004.

The Justice Department said both Cisco and NASA are cooperating in the investigation and that it is also working with Swedish authorities.

According to the Justice Department, the maximum penalty for each charge of intrusion and theft of trade secrets is 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.