4Law
– 22/2/06
Scott Levine Gets 8 Years in Data Theft Case
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006
WWW.USDOJ.GOV
CRM
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888
FORMER
OFFICER OF INTERNET COMPANY SENTENCED IN CASE OF MASSIVE DATA THEFT FROM ACXIOM
CORPORATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Scott Levine, 46,
was sentenced today to 96 months in federal prison after being found guilty on
Aug. 12, 2005, by a jury in Little Rock, Ark., of 120 counts of unauthorized
access of a protected computer, two counts of access device fraud, and one
count of obstruction of justice, the Justice Department announced.
The sentence was handed down by U.S.
District Judge William R. Wilson in the Eastern District of Arkansas.
“This sentence reflects the
seriousness of these crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins of the Eastern
District of Arkansas. “At first blush, downloading computer files in the
privacy of your office may not seem so terribly serious. But, if you are
stealing propriety information worth tens of millions of dollars from a
well-established and reputable company, you can expect to be punished
accordingly.”
“Neither the Internet nor cyberspace
will ever be a safe haven for individuals who attempt this type of cyber crime.
The Secret Service, along with our law enforcement partners, will hunt you
down, keystroke by keystroke, until you face a jury of your peers,” said Brian
Marr, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock office of the U.S. Secret
Service. “The Secret Service’s investigation regarding this type of crime has
been and will always be a top priority.”
“The investigation of cyber crime,
particularly as it relates to computer intrusion, is one of the FBI’s top
priorities,” said William C. Temple, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock
office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Working with our counterparts
from the U.S. Secret Service, we were able to quickly recover the stolen data
and prevent it use in a wide range of fraud schemes. The success of this
investigation should send a strong message to those who might consider becoming
involved in similar criminal activity.”
Levine, of Boca Raton, Fla., was the
controlling owner of Snipermail, Inc., a Florida corporation engaged in the
business of distributing advertisements over the Internet to e-mail addresses.
While working with others at Snipermail, Inc., he stole more than one billion
records containing personal information – including names, physical and e-mail
addresses, as well as phone numbers – belonging to Acxiom Corporation clients,
from approximately January 2003 through July 2003. Acxiom is a large repository
for personal, financial and company data, including customer information for
other companies.
Levine used sophisticated decryption
software to illegally obtain passwords and exceed his authorized access to
Acxiom databases, which contained information belonging to Acxiom’s clients.
Former Snipermail employees, who agreed to cooperate with the federal
investigation, testified to how Levine and others concealed physical evidence
relating to the intrusions and thefts of data.
There is no evidence to date that
any of the data stolen by Levine or others associated with this investigation
has been used in identity theft or credit card fraud schemes. However, some of
the data was resold to a broker for use in an ad campaign.
The criminal investigation was
jointly conducted by the FBI and the Secret Service, with assistance from the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case was prosecuted
by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George C. Vena, Todd L. Newton, and Karen L.
Coleman from the Eastern District of Arkansas and Trial Attorney Amanda M.
Hubbard of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property
Section.
###
06-088
4Law – 13/8/05
Scott Levine, left, of
Florida, the owner of the now defunct e-mail marketing contractor
Snipermail.com, leaves the Little Rock, Ark., federal courthouse with his wife
Sabrina, right, Friday, Aug. 12, 2005. Scott Levine was convicted Friday on 123
counts in the theft of 8.2 gigabytes of data from Little Rock-based Acxiom
Corp. (AP Photo/Mike Wintroath)
4Law - 22/7/04
ALLEGED ACXIOM HACKER INDICTED
It could be one of the largest cyber crimes in
Wednesday federal investigators arrested a Florida man, saying he hacked into the company's computer system causing seven million dollars worth of damage. Federal investigators say 45-year-old Scott Levine from Boca Raton, Florida stole the personal information of millions of people. They say he was able to get names, addresses, and in some cases even credit card numbers. The Special Indictment includes the US DOJ CCIPS Chief Martha Stansell - Gamm Signature Here her 4Law Cyber Crimes Page Video…
Indictment :
US v. Scott Levine
Background:
Acxiom,The
Little Rock, Arkansas, company, which made $958 million in revenue last year
from selling people's names, addresses and profiles is one of the world's
largest data aggregators, Acxiom, one of the world's largest data aggregators,
has information about virtually every adult in America. It also manages and
enhances data for major banks, insurers, direct marketers, the credit bureau
TransUnion and others. It has developed some of the world's most sophisticated
data analysis software.
A Look Inside:
Some of the most respected companies in the world are
clients of Acxiom – a leader in customer and information management solutions.
At the heart of each of our solutions -- from customer data integration to IT
outsourcing -- are our data center facilities. What sets Acxiom apart from
competitors? Here are just a few of the reasons:
·
Acxiom houses 850 terabytes of online system
storage...enough capacity to contain the entire contents of the U. S. Library
of Congress 42 times.
·
Acxiom controls 14,000 MIPS of mainframe processing
power… 3 times what a worldwide insurance or telecommunications company might house.
·
4,500 servers and midrange systems are under
management...a number more than 6 times the capacity of the nation's largest
retailers.
Acxiom Notice
Security Information
Acxiom
maintains
security procedures to help ensure that information will not be made available
to any unauthorized person or business. We use a variety of multi-level
security systems to control access to our services and information products.
All users at client locations, as well as all Acxiom associates, must have the
appropriate access codes and be expressly authorized to access certain data and
applications.
Acxiom
Chief Security Officer Frank Caserta leads the development and execution of
Acxiom’s security strategy. which includes risk assessments and regular audits
on our internal and external information systems to maintain the integrity of
our information. Acxiom's enterprise security operations center maintains
real-time monitoring for information system vulnerabilities and unauthorized
access attempts into internal systems. We also maintain appropriate
physical security for our facilities and limit access to certain critical areas
of the business.
Security Alert
Acxiom
Corporation was involved in an incident where some of the data we process was
unlawfully accessed. Upon learning of
the incident in August 2003, Acxiom took action to remove this exposure. Acxiom takes the security of our systems very
seriously, and we believe those who unlawfully intrude on our systems should be
dealt with by the criminal justice system. To that end, the US Department of
Justice has indicted the individuals responsible.
Since
this crime was uncovered and halted, Acxiom has made a strong security system
even stronger. With the appointment of
Chief Security Officer Frank Caserta, we have developed and launched a
comprehensive security strategy. We’ve
improved our intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning and encryption
systems, enhanced our internal and external audit practices, and are fully
committed to working with our clients and outside experts to ensure continuous
improvement in our security environment.
Acxiom
is also pleased to report that no evidence has been detected – after extensive
criminal investigations, client audits, and our own research - that would
indicate that any identity theft or fraud was committed against any individuals
and no such crime has been reported as a result of these intrusions. It is also important to note that the
criminals accessed one external server and did not penetrate Acxiom's internal
security firewall.
In the
Acxiom case, the unauthorized access occurred as information was being
exchanged between Acxiom and some of our clients via one external File Transfer
Protocol (FTP) server, a common method in which companies exchange data via the
Internet. Not all Acxiom clients nor all
clients using this FTP server were affected, and only a small portion of all
the information Acxiom processes for our clients was accessed. No breach of Acxiom’s corporate security
firewall occurred.
The
files that were accessed contained a wide variety of client information, some
of which was personally identifiable and some of which was not. Most of the data was non-sensitive, and some
of the data was encrypted.
Because
the information belongs to Acxiom’s clients, we are not authorized to answer
questions from individuals about whether their information was accessed in the
breach.
We
deeply regret the concern that this incident has created for individuals and
for our clients.
If you
have questions about our commitment to security, please contact our Security
Notice Hotline at 501-342-7722 (toll free 1-877-774-2095) or send an e-mail to securityalert@acxiom.com.
We will make every effort to answer your questions.
Prosecutor Sandra Cherry announces the indictment of Scott
Levine on charges of stealing millions of names and addresses. (Mike Wintroath
-- AP)
U.S Department of
Homeland Security
United States
Secret Service
www.secretservice.gov
Press Release
July 21, 2004
Contact: (202) 406-5708
PUB 16-04
UNITED
STATES SECRET SERVICE JOINS FEDERAL TASK FORCE TO SOLVE MAJOR NETWORK INTRUSION
CASE
(Washington,
DC) – In what has been described as one of the most significant network intrusion cases involving unauthorized access
to personal data, the federal Grand Jury in Arkansas today indicted the former
owner of Florida-based e-mail marketing company, Snipermail, on a variety of
charges, including: conspiracy, unauthorized access of a protected
computer,
access device fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Six other
individuals associated with Snipermail have agreed to cooperate and have
entered into plea agreements with the government.
In August
2003, executives from Acxiom Corporation, headquartered in Conway and Little
Rock, Arkansas, became aware of an initial intrusion to their network by an
individual in Ohio. A review of activity on the affected server revealed a
second series of unauthorized downloads of data.
A federal
task force comprised of special agents from the United States Secret Service
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, augmented by Assistant United States
Attorneys from the Eastern District of Arkansas, determined the illegal
intrusion had emanated from Snipermail, which is located in South Florida.
“With
internet capabilities expanding rapidly around the globe, the reach and
potential for criminal intrusion are greater than ever,” said Secret Service Director
W. Ralph Basham. “Cooperation and partnerships have allowed us to focus our
resources and respond quickly to uncover and prevent criminal activity such as
network intrusions, financial fraud and other crimes.”
The
enormity of this investigation required utilizing agents assigned to the Secret
Service’s Electronic Crimes Special Agent Program and the Miami Electronic
Crimes Task Force, as well as the FBI’s Regional Computer Forensics Lab, the
Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and
computer investigative specialists from the
Internal
Revenue Service. Investigators assigned to Secret Service and FBI field offices
in Little Rock, Miami, West Palm Beach, and Cincinnati were actively involved
in the investigation.
“The positive outcome of this investigation is
testament to the strong partnerships we have established with our counterparts
at the headquarters and field offices of various organizations, from the FBI
and Department of Justice to the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorneys’
Office in Little Rock,” said K.C. Crowley, Special Agent in Charge of Secret
Service’s Little Rock Field Office. “Furthermore, I commend Acxiom Corporation
for their cooperation and responsible approach to the situation. Acxiom’s quick
response in contacting federal investigators after determining there had been a
network intrusion should serve as a model for others in similar circumstances.”
The
investigation moved rapidly against Snipermail in order to prevent the further compromise
and use of the stolen personal and financial information. To date, federal
investigators have not uncovered any information suggesting the stolen data was
used in any other fraudulent activity, such as identity theft or credit card
fraud.
Acxiom is
a publicly traded company with offices located throughout the world. The
company headquarters are located in Conway and Little Rock, Arkansas. Acxiom
provides data integration services for use by marketing departments and lists a
number of Fortune 500 companies as its clients.
The
United States Secret Service was originally founded in 1865 for the purpose of
suppressing the counterfeiting of U. S. currency. Over the years it has grown
into one of the premier law enforcement organizations charged with
investigating financial crimes. The Secret Service has taken a lead role in the
developing area of cyber crime, establishing working partnerships in both the
law enforcement and business communities to address such issues as protection
of critical infrastructure, internet intrusions and associated fraud.
# # #
EDITOR’S
NOTE: For questions concerning this
release, please contact the United States
Secret Service Office of Government and Public
Affairs at (202) 406-5708.
