14 DAY TRIAL // An Australian man has managed to escape a jail sentence despite admitting to stealing nearly AU$30,000 (around US $27,700) from ATMs. According to the prosecutors, he devised the attacks using information from an ATM repair manual found on the Web.
Brian Sommer, 23, from Bundaberg, Queensland, used to work in a pizza shop back in 2007, when he came across an ATM repair manual on the Internet. The document contained default passwords for accessing certain ATM models and information about their options.
The young computer enthusiast realized that he could use the information to access the hard disks of ATMs and alter the settings so that he could withdraw large amounts of cash. He put his idea to test for the first time on a service station's ATM and managed to walk off with $21,120. An hour later, he hit another automated teller machine in Hervey Bay and scored $7,500.
There was a flaw in Sommer's plan, though – it required the use of real credit cards. Therefore, in order to pull off several attacks over a period of seven months, the hacker used cards belonging to himself, his girlfriend, his mother, as well as two friends. This led the authorities knocking on his door.
The hacker appeared in front of the Bundaberg District Court two days ago and prosecutor Sarah Klemm requested a two-year prison sentence because of a prolonged period of offending. "It perhaps started off as curiosity but went from there," she argued, according to the Fraser Coast Chronicle.
In response, Peter Zufic, Sommer's defense counsel, pointed out that a conviction would ruin the young man's chances of being admitted into the Australian Defence Force, where he applied to become an avionics technician. He also said that his client was ready to instantly pay back any money he had misguidedly extracted from ATMs.
Judge Anthony Rafter sentenced Sommer to 100 hours of community service and two years on probation. He was also ordered to pay $23,160 in compensation. The judge made a note that he considered the defendant's age, academic records and character references when sentencing.