One of the hackers responsible for the release of the email addresses of 114,000 iPad users back in 2010 has been sentenced to 41 months in prison. Andrew Auernheimer was convicted of one count of identity fraud and one count of “conspiracy to access a computer without authorization.”
In November, Auernheimer was found guilty on one count of identity fraud and one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization. Following his release from prison, Auernheimer will be subject to three years of supervised release. Auernheimer and co-defendant Daniel Spitler were also ordered to pay $73,000 in restitution to AT&T. The pre-sentencing report prepared by prosecutors recommended four years in federal prison.
Much debate has arisen amongst tech commentators as to whether a sentence of three years is appropriate for the “crime” of accessing AT&T servers without actually entering a password or directly compromising a system.
Auernheimer and his partner Daniel Spitler (who earlier pled guilty and received a 12-18 month sentence) created a script that would try to guess the identifying numbers of the iPad’s SIM card and got AT&T’s website to cough up the email address connected to the SIM card. Numerous high-profile email addresses were leaked, including those of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, then White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and ABC News journalist Diane Sawyer.
Auernheimer’s attitude and lack of contrition may have contributed to the lengthy sentence. He ran a Reddit Ask Me Anything thread the night before his sentencing, where he posted a comment saying he wanted to get elected to Congress, as Congressional Immunity would then allow him to release hacks on the floor of Congress, with no fear of repercussions.
