Doom Δημοσ. 11 Μαΐου 2005 Δημοσ. 11 Μαΐου 2005 Apo TIMES OnLine: "DrinkorDie software pirates imprisoned By Rhys Blakely, Times Online Four British members of the global "DrinkorDie network", an underground software piracy ring that made millions of pounds before being infiltrated in a global police sting, were sentenced today at London’s Central Criminal Court. The four men, who included a former employee of Morgan Stanley, the investment bank, were convicted for conspiracy to defraud. They had formed part of a gang which communicated across continents via a sophisticated online network that was also used to distribute pirated copies of popular software packages. Alex Bell, 29, received a two and a half year sentence for his role as a supplier of software and credit card numbers from Morgan Stanley where he was an IT manager. Steven Dowd, 39, was sentenced to two years for supplying software. Mark Vent, 30, was sentenced to 18 months after pleading guilty to supplying and cracking software. Andrew Eardley, 35, was given a suspended 18-month sentence for his role as a recruiter to DrinkorDie. The case concluded one of the largest global investigations into internet piracy. The operation began in October 2000 and led to more than 70 search warrants being issued in the United States, Britain, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The undercover investigation was sparked when a US Customs operation, codenamed Buccaneer, recruited an informant who was prepared to give up his former gang. DrinkorDie had evolved from the so-called "warez" groups that originated in the early 1990s. Groups of individuals working in underground networks organised themselves into competitive gangs that "cracked" and "ripped" software – removing serial numbers, tags and other forms of protection – and posted it on the internet for illegal downloading. Detectives tracking the groups say they have developed a "code of honour" where different gangs refuse to pirate each other's software. Detective Superintendent Mick Deats, the deputy head of the national hi-tech crime unit, said: "Although members of DrinkorDie were motivated by the prestige of rapidly cracking new software, rather than financial gain, and considered their activity to be a hobby, they clearly had a significant impact on the software industry. "Not only did DrinkorDie make software available for illegal download, their ‘warez’ became the raw materials that others, such as organised crime gangs, used and continue to use for criminal profit." Beth Scott, vice president, for the Business Software Alliance, a trade body representing software developers said: "These individuals were not naïve teenage hackers but adults with seemingly responsible jobs "We do not accept their defence that this was a victimless crime - their actions clearly contributed to a major piracy problem that impacts jobs, the economy and the businesses and consumers who benefit from innovation." Research by IDC, the technology analysts, found that 29 per cent of software in the UK is pirated. IDC estimated that a 10 per cent reduction in piracy could add an additional £10 billion towards Britain economic output, a further £2.5 billion in tax revenues and 40,000 jobs in the IT sector within three years. The DrinkorDie network involved four levels of operators, working together. Suppliers, such as Dowd, would obtain the software and pass it on to crackers who would break the code and pass it on to testers, often IT managers with access to sophisticated computer systems. These testers would make sure the reconfigured software worked before passing it to on to packagers. Access to the cracked software was achieved through the use of "bounce boxes" - other people’s servers - which the gang would configure so that access would only be granted to particular computers with recognised usernames and passwords. According to detectives, once the were in their private chatrooms they would speak openly about their activities. Det Supt Deats said: "This case illustrates the many faces behind internet piracy. Some of these members were successful white-collar business workers by day and DrinkOrDie members by night. "Globally, the investigation identified members who were corporate executives, computer network administrators, students, and even government workers." " Peite mou nea! (An psa3ete sto net 8a breite kai mia sunenteu3h tou BanDiDo & RiSC apo thn omada DoD. Mhn thn postarw edwmesa an den uparxei endiaferon)
kostastnt Δημοσ. 11 Μαΐου 2005 Δημοσ. 11 Μαΐου 2005 Και παλιότερα δεν είχαν γίνει δικαστήρια με αυτούς??? Νομίζω το διάβασα σε περιοδικό του 2001...
Doom Δημοσ. 12 Μαΐου 2005 Μέλος Δημοσ. 12 Μαΐου 2005 May 06 2005 TIMES OnLine >http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-1600964,00.html Silicon >http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39130195,00.htm
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