14 DAY TRIAL // A Malaysian hacker arrested last year admitted to breaking into a Federal Reserve Bank computer installing malicious code on it.
Lin Mun Poo, a citizen of Malaysia, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possession of stolen credit card data, an offense that can land him in prison for a maximum of ten years.
Poo was arrested on October 21, 2010, hours after he entered the United States through JFK International Airport and walked right into a trap set up by the Secret Service.
According to authorities, a federal agent posed as a carder interested in buying stolen credit card details from Poo in order to lure him to US.
The two met a restaurant where the hacker accepted $1,000 in exchange for 31 active credit and debit cards. When the deal was completed, the Secret Service moved in to make the arrest.
When inspecting his laptop, authorities found the financial and personal details of thousands of individuals, information stolen from various companies.
Prosecutors described Poo as a very sophisticated and dangerous hacker. FedComp, a data processor used by federal credit unions, and Federal Reserve Bank were among his victims.
"Our society’s reliance on digital infrastructure means that cyber criminals around the world, such as the defendant, threaten our country’s national and financial security.
"However, the Secret Service and the Department of Justice, employing state of the art investigative techniques, remain dedicated to protecting cyberspace," said Ms. Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
It is possible that we will see more and more cases where authorities lure in foreign hackers to U.S. soil in order to arrest and prosecute them, as federal agents continue to specialiaze in cyber sting operations.