Loading Koch Industries Website Too Many Times In 1 Minute Just Cost This Truck Driver $183,000

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post



WASHINGTON -- A Wisconsin man who, for one minute, took part in an Anonymous-sponsored effort to overwhelm the website of Koch Industries has been sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay the company $183,000.

Eric J. Rosol, a 38-year-old truck driver from Black Creek, Wis., was sentenced on Monday in federal court in Wichita, Kan., where Koch Industries is headquartered. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of accessing a protected computer, admitting that he used a software called Low Orbit Ion Cannon Code to participate in a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Kochind.com for approximately one minute back in 2011. As a result of the attack, the website was down for about 15 minutes.

Both the government and the defendant agreed that the direct loss associated with Rosol's participation in the attack was less than $5,000. But Koch Industries, according to a plea agreement, "had been informed of the planned Anonymous attack" and "hired a consulting group to protect the operation of its websites, and, if any such attack was successful, to minimize the effect of the attack." Lawyers for Koch Industries convinced U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren, a President George W. Bush appointee, that Rosol should have to pay for the entire consulting fee -- restitution in the amount of $183,000 -- despite of the fact that Koch Industries had hired the group before Rosol even took part in the attack, and though Rosol was not the only participant (he was the only one who was caught.)

The attack took place in 2011, when the Koch brothers were under fire for supporting union cutbacks in Wisconsin. Organizing under #OpWisconsin, members of Anonymous said they were seeking vulnerabilities on the website.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/anonymous-koch-attack_n_4374365.html

[Jerry442]

1. Not even trying to pretend the judge isn't in their pocket. n/t

[Scuba]

2. The Koch headquarters looks like a Nazi bunker.

How appropriate.

[loudsue]

3. It does, doesn't it.

Too bad Koch industries didn't get brought down along with the hack. If only Anonymous could do THAT! Twoodbe nice!

[olddad56]

11. that is what it should look like.

[DrDebug]

5. My thoughts exactly

That sure is one hell of an evil building...

[Dustlawyer]

4. The comments at the link mostly suck. Someone with know how needs to start a fund for this guy!

I do not agree with stooping to the same tactics they are using against the Obamacare website, but this Judge's sentence is way to harsh. He is made to pay the whole freight though his part was relatively small.
The Koch Dickheads go way past supporting their party, they are using their money and power to try to reshape government to their benefit, not support Democracy. That difference is enough to make them traitors to the U.S. If someone dug down enough (and survived), I am sure they would uncover criminality the likes we have never seen before. Fuck the Koch Suckers!

[Heather MC]

6. the part that sucks is helping this guy means giving the Koch Bros $183,000

damn!

[deancr]

10. The new lean, mean comments section of Huffpo

I myself have stopped posting at the site after they began holding up my posts due to the "sensitive" (or some such tripe) nature of the article. I do not use profanity nor am I given to insulting people's mother's sexual behaviors. Perhaps it's just the bugs in procedure for Huffington's publicized attempt to make the comments section more civil, but as you can see from the comments on this article, the political complexion seems more, balanced, than it was when most of the comments were of a liberal nature.
Perhaps America has become more conservative since AOL bought Huffpo? Ariana always seemed somewhat confused swinging as she did from a protege of Newt to one of Jon Stewarts.
Folks should take care to rely more on independent media sites. Like the man sang, "Dont follow leaders, watch your parking meters."

[olddad56]

14. the pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles.

[SoapBox]

16. I was banned from that fucking Huff-and-Puff site

For asking why they had multiple Palin articles on their front page daily (couple years ago)...they said I was "disruptive".

Fuck their shitty website...have never looked at their site OR opened one of their links since.

[deancr]

17. Understood

I walked when they started blocking my posts for unknown reasons. I followed their "rules of conduct" yet my always left of center posts became controversial. It sure seems the comments section, certainly in the cited article, has taken a more controlled character.

It's troublesome because comments sections on the net have become a form of media unto themselves. They no doubt serve to help form opinions for many and the natural inclination of some to give weight to consensus is impacted when comments are tilted by sock puppets or editorial censorship.

The shining light of the net has always been equal access and its free wheeling debate format. Almost like corporate entities don't like that status quo. Almost, just like that.

[mountain grammy]

7. Judges, bought and paid for, Kochs above the law..

The rule for, by and of the rich is almost complete.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Even back in the late '90s

when what seemed to be stock for denial of service attacks, Floodnet , the site where it could be down loaded carried a warning that users needed to recognise they should be responsible for their own actions.

[sweetapogee]

9. The OP story

mentions that on Tursday several more Anonymous inspired attackers of the Pay Pal website are due in court to work on their plea deals. I'll bet they are sleeping good these days. Mr. Rosol, according to the story apparently pled guilty in (a plea bargan) so he must have thought that the sentence could have been a lot worse if it went to trial. I think this might deter some who might think it fun to disrupt government web-based databases.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

12. This is how the 1% handle things

MONEY- if you don't have it, they make sure it's the form of retribution used...............

[Arugula Latte]

13. Wow.

I can't post what I'm thinking.

[Diego_Native 2012]

15. How does one go about joining in a DDOS attack with Anonymous?

I've been on websites where I had to load a page a few dozens of times (Yes. I'm talking about you, Yahoo!). But I wouldn't know how to go about formalizing it into a DDOS attempt.

[kentauros]

18. Sounds like they're using "copyright math"

to determine the amount of money "lost":

[Blue Owl]

19. Koch & dagger

n/t