Usually, when a subscriber inserts the card into the set top box, a satellite signal will then determine which channels this user is allowed to watch. This operation is based by a unique identification number that is coded into every issued smart card. Mullen apparently headed a network of over 100 individuals that sell thousands of hacked smart cards which allow access to all channels. "The severe sentence handed down by the court is clearly warranted in this case and we applaud the judge's decision," said Jim Whalen, senior director of DirecTV's Signal Integrity Department, in a statement. "This sentence serves as a stark reminder that the sale and distribution of signal theft devices has grave consequences."
The sentence was decided by the amount of financial damage Mullen’s actions caused for DirecTV. The court accepted that Mullen has been responsible for at least 16,000 hacked smart cards in use and each caused damages of $1,500, giving a total of $24m. DirecTV estimates that Mullen’s network is responsible for about 68,000 hacked smart cards on the street. Mullen is now in custody at the Miami Federal Detention Center, and quite amusingly, NDS are currently trying to crack the encryption on a memory stick seized from him. They hope it will contain numbers for offshore bank accounts where they believe Mullen has stashed millions of dollars.
Source:
The Register
Written by: James Delahunty @ 12 Dec 2004 7:40
