American sentenced to jail for selling access to botnets

The US DOJ has announced today that Arizona man Joshua Schichtel has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling access to botnets as well as using the nets to perform DDoS attacks on numerous businesses.

Schichtel was allegedly part of the hacking group 'DDOS Mafia,' a group that performed the attacks on behalf of a business owner against his rivals.

The hacker plead guilty last August to a single count of attempting to cause damage to multiple computers without authorization by the transmission of programs, codes or commands. The charge was a violation of the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Schichtel plead guilty to installing malware on 72,000 computers that then became part of the botnet.

For this job, the business owner paid Schichtel a measly $1500.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 7 Sep 2012 8:05

hearme0

Better be 30 months NO PAROLE. This guy deserves everything thrown at him. No integrity and honor in what he did. The business owner should be bitch slapped into next year too for solicitation.

7.9.2012 12:56 #1

aldan

ditto.

7.9.2012 13:37 #2

LordRuss

This guy is worse than a red neck hitman taking someone out for a measly case of Falstaff.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

9.9.2012 15:08 #3

xaznboitx

Originally posted by hearme0: Better be 30 months NO PAROLE. This guy deserves everything thrown at him. No integrity and honor in what he did. The business owner should be bitch slapped into next year too for solicitation. you act like he murdered someone

9.9.2012 17:22 #4

aldan

Originally posted by xaznboitx: Originally posted by hearme0: Better be 30 months NO PAROLE. This guy deserves everything thrown at him. No integrity and honor in what he did. The business owner should be bitch slapped into next year too for solicitation. you act like he murdered someone and you think this is ok??? assholes like this really should have the "book" thrown at them.ill tell you one thing id murder the sob if i got my hands on him.ive gone thru a "bot" infection and have no love for these lowlifes.furthermore how do you equate thirty month sentence with murder??

9.9.2012 17:44 #5

B1tchSlap (unverified)

Originally posted by xaznboitx: you act like he murdered someone No, he didnt murder anyone, but hes still one of those DOUCHE BAGS who think its OK to screw with peoples personal hardware and the internet in general. Im damn tired of having to do extra work to keep douche bags off my system. I sincerely hope he becomes cellblock b1tch. Maybe he and all like him will think twice before hacking again.

14.9.2012 05:48 #6

attar

Perhaps not relevant, but we have come from the position that burgling someones home got you an automatic ten years to the recent comment from a British judge handing down a big wet kiss with lots of wiggly tongue and ten bucks from the cash register, that a convicted multiple repeat offender was 'courageous'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-19503922

14.9.2012 05:56 #7

xboxdvl2

Originally posted by attar: Perhaps not relevant, but we have come from the position that burgling someones home got you an automatic ten years to the recent comment from a British judge handing down a big wet kiss with lots of wiggly tongue and ten bucks from the cash register, that a convicted multiple repeat offender was 'courageous'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-19503922 thats what happens when judges drink too much

the guy was paid to do a service and did the service.The problem is people are willing to pay people to hack and that is the real problem.yes he shouldnt be making botnets and selling them but if he needs money and thats his only skill and people are offering him money to do that he would.Think the business owner should be sentenced to do double the amount of times for encouraging him.

heres a song lyric thats sad but true " i didnt serve in 2 wars so 40years later you have the freedom to rob me on a train".

R.I.P. mr 1990 ford falcon.got myself a 1993 toyota corolla seems to run good.computers still going good.

14.9.2012 06:44 #8

DADEO1

....and the business owner got what? Should be the next cell.

14.9.2012 16:30 #9

ps355528

this is what they pinned on him for public consumption.. what isn't so widely known is DDoS Mafia are also part of anonymous and were involved (as was Josh) in taking out various "law enforcement" websites during and after the Pirate Bay and other takedowns.. The feds only really care about this when people hit them.. usually people standing up for freedom of speech or information in the face of increasing totalitarian regimes in the so called "free world".. if you are a mom and pop store with a website they don't care if you get taken down.. so this "business" which the courts have "protected" is probably money laundering front for some politico..

Only stupid people get compromised by botnet participation.. DDoS is also easy enough to avoid with some clever router scripting.

Now about "selling access to a botnet".. wheres the "crime"?? .. Josh hadn't directly installed the bots on peoples hardware.. he probably just dumped a "tempting" file on a filesharing network.. and others have downloaded and run that file.. it isn't a "crime" as such to put an iffy file up on a filesharing site.. it relies on the gullibility of the end downloader to access that file.. it's like busting somebody because they left a football on your lawn and you kicked it through your own window...no.. the person with "intent to do damage" here was the person who paid to access the botnet.. a botnet in and of itself is neutral and harmless.. it's the instructions it is given which makes it an annoyance or malicious.. not the botfarm.

ARR! Them pesky Navy! Get out of my sea!
irc://irc.villageirc.net/afterdawn http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/

14.9.2012 21:00 #10

LordRuss

Originally posted by ps355528: ... it's like busting somebody because they left a football on your lawn and you kicked it through your own window...no.. the person with "intent to do damage" here was the person who paid to access the botnet.. a botnet in and of itself is neutral and harmless.. it's the instructions it is given which makes it an annoyance or malicious.. not the botfarm.
I like your take on this... So long as it is still in context. I wouldn't exactly put this guy in the same field as Nobel or anything, (where his bot was intended for good, but then warped for evil), but the juxtaposition is a refreshing one.

Probably a more befitting analogy would be like holding a guys weed for a couple of days. You're not smoking it. You're not selling either, but it just so happens the campus cops do a raid through the dorms & there you are... All the intent & malfeasance is on the other guy, but you're the one literally left holding the bag.

Not that I'm helping a damned thing, but how many warring nations are actually playing this kind of game? Building one weapon or another using engineers that are probably the most peace loving individuals you can think of?

That should just about the most perfect definition of dichotomy there is. Still doesn't change the fact that this guy is going to left out to dry while the instigator will probably have his ass pat & sent home.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

16.9.2012 12:14 #11

aldan

Originally posted by LordRuss: Originally posted by ps355528: ... it's like busting somebody because they left a football on your lawn and you kicked it through your own window...no.. the person with "intent to do damage" here was the person who paid to access the botnet.. a botnet in and of itself is neutral and harmless.. it's the instructions it is given which makes it an annoyance or malicious.. not the botfarm.
I like your take on this... So long as it is still in context. I wouldn't exactly put this guy in the same field as Nobel or anything, (where his bot was intended for good, but then warped for evil), but the juxtaposition is a refreshing one.

Probably a more befitting analogy would be like holding a guys weed for a couple of days. You're not smoking it. You're not selling either, but it just so happens the campus cops do a raid through the dorms & there you are... All the intent & malfeasance is on the other guy, but you're the one literally left holding the bag.

Not that I'm helping a damned thing, but how many warring nations are actually playing this kind of game? Building one weapon or another using engineers that are probably the most peace loving individuals you can think of?

That should just about the most perfect definition of dichotomy there is. Still doesn't change the fact that this guy is going to left out to dry while the instigator will probably have his ass pat & sent home. gee,thanks you two.pull me out of my fixed mindset and make me see it from a different perspective.lol.there are probably more than fifty shades of grey.

16.9.2012 12:45 #12

LordRuss

Originally posted by aldan: gee,thanks you two.pull me out of my fixed mindset and make me see it from a different perspective.lol.there are probably more than fifty shades of grey.
AAAhaAAHAaaaaaah!!! That infernal book!!! Every other female that has read that damned thing looks at me like I'm the Marque de Sade & it's pissing me off!

I swear, there's probably a legion of guys that want to S&M a lamp on that author as I write this... grumble, grumble...

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

16.9.2012 13:06 #13

aldan

never read it.have to ask the wife if she has.just thought the reference was apropo so to speak.they just want you to be in touch with your feminine side russ.LMAO

16.9.2012 16:41 #14

LordRuss

Originally posted by aldan: they just want you to be in touch with your feminine side russ.LMAO Well... I know what mauve & fuchsia is, ain't that enough!?! I've already held the wife's purse & stood in the women's clothing store while standing hours on end clinging to the 'idiot stance' for the 3rd Guinness Book of Worlds Records... And lastly, 15 out of the 19 years of marriage I've bought the damned feminine hygiene products with my head held high (including amidst a few red neck martial arts WalMart displays you'll never see in a Jackie Chan movie), other than wearing the dress myself or catching the 'opening pitch', I'm about tapped out on that feminine touch 'thing'...

Quick!!! I need two pints of Fosters & the new Judge Dredd movie followed by the local strip club.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

17.9.2012 17:10 #15

ps355528

Originally posted by LordRuss: Quick!!! I need two pints of Fosters & the new Judge Dredd movie followed by the local strip club. not sure about the movie.. but the beers sound like a plan.. would that be breakfast? (ever been in a strip club at 8am.. all rather sad........

just as well I don't leave any traces in my scripts either.. us law enforcement pussies only ever go after the little guy.. Occupy XP.. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

ARR! Them pesky Navy! Get out of my sea!
irc://irc.villageirc.net/afterdawn http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/

18.9.2012 03:35 #16

LordRuss

Originally posted by ps355528: (ever been in a strip club at 8am.. all rather sad........
Back when the earth was cooling & I had considerably more hair, there were several 'mens clubs' advertising breakfast & lunch menus for the asking at their establishments advertised on their billboards as I drove down to Florida - following a hunch on the whole 'Hollywood East' thing after the quakes in what(?) 88-89?

Let's just say it gave a whole new meaning to 'sunny side up'... ;)

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

23.9.2012 14:35 #17

omendata

He is going to get his own BOT netted in prison so that should provide some incentive to go straight.
>;o)

25.9.2012 23:10 #18

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