BGR writes today about the case of two hackers from Goatse Security , one of who could face jail, despite trying to do good. The hackers found a way to harvest emails and data from iPads via a security hole in AT&T’s website. They then made their discovery public, in order to warn other iPad users about AT&T’s site. In no way did the hackers expose the emails they obtained, or try and make money from what they had found. Even so, LiveScience.com reports, via BGR, that one of the hackers, Andrew Auernheimer, could still be jailed as a result of what he did. The reason for this is because Auernheimer is accused of breaking the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986. Apparently being so old, the law doesn’t take into account hackers that are actually trying to do good. The case will either be ruled on this week, or failing that it could go to the Supreme Court, and could possibly become a precedent-setting hacking case that could help to define future laws.
Source: AT&T iPad email hacker: Jail time a possibility | BGR