A British hacker who funded his gambling addiction by stealing and reselling online gaming chips from Zynga has been jailed for two years. Ashley Mitchell, 29, from Paignton, Devon, was sent down last week after earlier pleading guilty to five charges of hacking and theft at Exeter Crown Court. Mitchell exploited shortcomings …

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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 14:01 GMT Andy Kay

Give the man credit*

*Zynga credits

But really, "People rely on the security of systems and anyone who comes before the courts who has gone through these security systems from their own ends can expect custody," - he should be offered a job, not a prison sentence! He'd be a great asset to have on board for security testing!

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1. Tuesday 22nd March 2011 14:38 GMT Matt Piechota
  
  Er...
  
  "he should be offered a job, not a prison sentence! He'd be a great asset to have on board for security testing!"
  
  So you're going to hire a convict with a gambling problem and just trust that he's not going to pull something on you when he has a string of bad luck?
  
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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 14:03 GMT Anonymous Coward

Ummm...

"The sentence has to reflect the impact on public confidence in security systems and online business when someone breaches security in this way."

So it's not important to have secure systems, but simply to deter people from hacking them and getting caught? Great.

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1. Tuesday 22nd March 2011 15:55 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  not important to have secure systems?
  
  > So it's not important to have secure systems, but simply to deter people from hacking them and getting caught? Great
  
  It not that its more important, its that they can't secure the technology, so they bump up the sentences instead, in the process criminilazing techie people and serving as a deterent to everyone else.
  
  -
  
  <insert lawyer smiley>
  
  .
  
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2. Wednesday 23rd March 2011 00:16 GMT dssf
  
  Not, it's not important that the system IS secure,
  
  But, that the public THINKS it is secure... But, yes, security throught obscurity would be enhance, though, by would-be attackers who give up without trying...
  
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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 15:36 GMT Leona A

gate, horse, bolted

Hum, isn't the problem here that Zynga had an insecure system? Kind of closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

Ok yes the guy did wrong, but punishing him like this seems extreme, no one got hurt did they?

So are they going to help him with his gambling addiction?

Where is the balance in our justice system, people committing GBH get less than this, come on can we have some prospective please!

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1. Tuesday 22nd March 2011 15:56 GMT Pascal Monett
  
  Extreme punishment ?
  
  I don't think so. His shenanigans led his neighbors to become suspect before he got caught himself. On top of that, he was already under a suspended sentence for hacking, so that's a relapse.
  
  Jeanne D'Arc got burned at the stake for relapse. This guy got off lightly.
  
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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 19:10 GMT trarch

Interwebs

This is a good example of why it's important to secure your wifi. I know people who refuse to do so.

When confronted about loss of speed they might encounter, they say they only use the internet for browsing anyway.

When confronted about privacy issues, they say they have nothing to hide.

That may be true, but ignorance won't stand up well for you in court, after some bugger has essentially framed you by hopping on your connection.

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Wednesday 23rd March 2011 00:13 GMT dssf

Zynggggg....

Looks like he almost bought the farm...

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Wednesday 23rd March 2011 23:56 GMT Stephen Gray

@ Ummm...

"So it's not important to have secure systems, but simply to deter people from hacking them and getting caught?"

Can I smash the closed and locked window on your car, steal your ICE/satnav/laptop and then say the same? Well your honour it wasn't secure enough! It should have been covered in 10cm of Chobham armour! It was just waiting to be smashed your honour. WTF? Surely the whole point of going to jail IS to deter people. So I fail to see your point. Do crime, do time, it's the choice he made.

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