By PETER GRIFFIN
Computer hacker Andrew Garrett will teach "mature members of the community" basic computer and internet surfing skills, following his sentencing for computer-related crimes.
Garrett was yesterday sentenced in the Manukau District Court to a six-month suspended sentence and 200 hours of community service.
The decision closed a stop-start
case that had unravelled over three years and raised questions over whether existing laws covered crimes involving computers and the internet.
Last month, a jury found Garrett guilty of four charges of reproducing a document with intent to defraud and one count of threatening to damage property. It was undecided on five other charges.
The fraud charges related to Garrett obtaining internet access passwords from computers remotely, using the Back Orifice trojan virus. This allowed him access to the web using other people's accounts and to view private information on their computers.
Judge David Harvey said Garrett fitted the profile of a "revenge hacker" who had largely directed his hacking activities at account holders of Xtra, Telecom's internet service provider.
Garrett believed Telecom had put his internet company, The Hive, out of business in 1998, by cutting its access to phone lines over an unsettled payment dispute.
"If we allow individuals to try to settle their disputes through vigilante acts or self-help we are condemning ourselves to anarchy," said Judge Harvey.
"You chose to hit back at Telecom by demonstrating to them that their security systems in the online environment were shaky."
The judge said that Garrett had effectively committed a "double fraud" because not only did he obtain the passwords illegally, he used them to present himself to Telecom as a legitimate account user.
Garrett, who claimed he found it impossible to find a job with the case hanging over him, said he was reasonably happy with the sentence.
He would work with the Citizens Advice Bureau to train volunteer staff members and the elderly in computer skills.
"At this point all I want to do is continue on with my life, spend time with my kids and do my community service.
"Who knows, something great might eventuate out of it."
He said he would even consider forming a community training group, so computer professionals sentenced to community service or prison could use their skills to help others bridge the "digital divide".
