Midlands hacker tapped into US military computers
A computer hacker who gained unauthorised access to data from US military communication systems has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Sean Caffrey, 25, from Suttong Coldfield, admitted an offence under the Computer Misuse Act at Birmingham Crown Court in June and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 18 months on Thursday.
The court heard how Caffrey stole usernames and email addresses belonging to more than 800 users of a satellite communication system and around 30,000 satellite phones.
The American Department of Defense said the 2014 attack took 50 hours to repair at a cost of more than $600,000, or around £450,000 at current exchange rate.
Rose-Marie Franton, from the CPS, said: “By infiltrating the computer systems of the American military, Sean Caffrey caused an international security breach which cost hundreds of thousands to fix.
“Despite his efforts to mask his online identity, the prosecution was able to build a compelling case against him.
"Faced with the evidence, Caffrey admitted his guilt.”
