Job-seeking Marriott hacker gets 30 months' porridge

A job-seeking Hungarian hacker who tried to land work with Marriott by hacking into the hotel chain's network before "offering" to sort out the resulting mess has been found guilty of hacking and attempted extortion and jailed for 30 months. Attila Nemeth, 26, admits sending Trojan-infected emails to workers at the hotel late …

[Anonymous Coward]

Would have been cheaper for everyone all round to offer him the job!

"Marriott estimates Nemeth's hack resulted in expenses of between $400,000 and $1m in consultant expenses and other costs associated with figuring out how much damage the hacker might have caused."

[Vic]

No it wouldn't.

Giving in to blackmailers is always the expensive option.

Vic.

[Hungry Sean]

oh I see

and you don't negotiate with terrrists neither, right?

[Vic]

> you don't negotiate with terrrists neither, right?

I would.

Frankie Boyle had a good take on that - his plan was simply to outbid the terrorists.

"What's Allah offering you boys, 100 virgins? We'll give you 50 slags."

Vic.

[DrXym]

Just goes to show

You can be smart and yet incredibly stupid. US law enforcement must have been especially grateful that he presented himself on US soil so they didn't have to muck around getting him extradited.

[kissingthecarpet]

No, you can't

Its just that one assessment is incorrect. "Smart and yet incredibly stupid" sounds a lot like the stuff that ignorant people say to make themselves feel less inferior than they do. I'm surprised you didn't mention that imaginary beast, "common sense".

[Anonymous Coward]

Wrong job

If Marriott spent between $400,000 and $1m in consultant expenses (plus some other stuff) he should have been angling for a consultancy role, not a BoFH slot!

[CaffeinePwrdAl]

I wonder if they offered him a deal?

"It seems you have been leading 2 lives, one of these has a future, the other does not..."

[Gordon Pryra]

$400,000 and $1m in consultant expenses?

That is the figure they will have pulled out of the air for insurance purposes.

unless they are changing over hardware, 400k is a lot of man hours by anyone's daily rate, and 1 mill in consultancy? Possible. but there will be a personal link between the consultancy and the person signing it off within Marriets

[kain preacher]

There is the cost to check each computer. How do you know that they are only checking computers in the US and not world wide ? Even if they were just checking PC in the US Marriott has alot of properties in the US.

[sabba]

I don't see what the problem is...

..after all, it did take me a full week. The one million estimate included 8 hours overtime.

[Andus McCoatover]

Attila?

The Hun(garian)?

For real, FFS???

[ItsNotMe]

PRECISELY what I was thinking.

Looks like he's keepng up the family business.

[The Original Cactus]

Attila isn't an uncommon name in Hungary.

[mmm mmm]

What a knob.

[The Grump]

Intelligence vs Wisdom

Intelligence is being able to construct your own atomic bomb in your house.

Wisdom is the realization that it wouldn't be a good idea to use it to open that hard-to-open mayonaise jar in the kitchen.

Sounds like Mr Nemeth could have used less intelligence and more wisdom. Just sayin'.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's good money, when you can get it.

"Nemeth's hack resulted in expenses of between $400,000 and $1m in consultant expenses and other costs associated with figuring out how much damage the hacker might have caused."

Oh! Sign me up! I could use a consulting client like that one. -Anon, in case my current clients are lurking.

[miknik]

I'm a consultant

ohaithar Marriot,

This may have cost you between $0 and $600,000.

That'll be $400,000 please.

kthxbai

[Anonymous Coward]

Boo Hoo

Hack and go to prison - fool.

[Anonymous Coward]

They needed to go hire a team of consultants?

There was nobody available in house? It sounds like the expenses are at least partly deferred (read "ignored") maintenance.