A San Diego man who tests the security of computer systems has been charged with hacking into the University of Southern California’s student application system, federal prosecutors said yesterday. Eric McCarty, 25, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted in connection with the June 2005 breach of USC’s online student application system. The incident caused the university to shut down the site for 10 days. The database contained information – including Social Security numbers and birth dates – from roughly 275,000 applicants dating back to 1997, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Zweiback said evidence obtained on McCarty’s home computer indicated he accessed information on just seven individuals. A USC official learned of the hacking on June 21, 2005 - the USC applicant site was shut down. A USC official later provided the FBI with records which showed that one particular IP address. There wasn’t a long way from IP to concrete person, FBI agents tracked the IP address to McCarty’s home computer, obtained a warrant and searched his residence in August. The university spent $140,000 to notify by letter all of the people whose information was on the admissions database and alert them to the potential danger. It’s not a good idea to hack unhidden especially if you live in the USA…
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