NY Angry engineer arrested after cyber attack

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Man angry at workplace arrested after cyber attack

NEW YORK (AP) -- A database engineer angry at his employer was arrested on charges of using codes to disable computers in a three-day cyber attack on the company, authorities said Wednesday.

Abdelkader Smires, 31, was arrested Tuesday and charged with intentionally causing damage through the unauthorized use of a computer.

Computers at Internet Trading Technologies crashed for several hours over the three-day period beginning March 9. The attacks were traced to a computer at Queens College and authorities determined that Smires, who had once taught computer science there, had been using that computer, according to a criminal complaint.

The company processes trades electronically for members of the National Association of Securities Dealers.

The alleged attacks began after Smires and another engineer -- who was not named -- refused to help consultants and other workers learn the company's new operating system without more money, job security and equity, authorities said.

On March 8, the company offered Smires a $70,000 raise, $50,000 in stock options and a one-year contract, but Smires turned them down, authorities said.

The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Smires was in jail without bail pending a hearing Friday in federal court. He was to be assigned a public defender. Calls to the public defender's office were not immediately returned Wednesday.

http://www.sjmercury.com/breaking/docs/073358.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 15, 2000


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