Ex-Harrods IT worker pleads guilty to PC repair shop trip

A former Harrods IT worker has pleaded guilty to a charge under the Computer Misuse Act of trying to get a computer repair shop to take his company-issued laptop off the Harrods domain. Pardeep Parmar, of Grove Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in the UK, was accused by Crown prosecutor Marie Olo of having taken the laptop to a …

[Cronus]

Guess I'm naive but I wouldn't have expected removing a computer from a domain to constitute a crime.

[gazthejourno]

MODERATOR NOTE

This article was accidentally published with the comments section enabled. It should have been disabled from the start.

Parmar was charged with two offences: one of theft, and one under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. He pleaded guilty to the CMA offence and not guilty to stealing the laptop. The theft charge will be tried in October and he will be sentenced for the CMA offence that he admitted to at the end of that process.

Accordingly, as the case is still active, we have disabled comments.

[Anonymous Coward]

Removing a computer from a domain?

"Am I missing something but isn't removing a computer from a domain quite easy?

I've come across this before as a friend of mine was asked to perform such a service. The laptops come with some kind of Windows authorization software that if removed is reinstalled at the next boot by a customized bios module in conjunction with the Intel Management Engine. The missing windows components being downloaded through an un-encrypted HTTP connection. I'm sure some third party could figure out a way to hijack this, to plant their own nefarious software on their victims 'computer', just saying :)

[POKE 649,0]

This guy best watch out, with IT skills like those he might be headhunted to work in INFOSEC. I mean c'mon... Its not that difficult to get into an unencrypted laptop is it?

[K]

I would have wet myself laughing if I hadn't done exactly this recently (Infrastructure -> Infosec)

(Though, the team I've joined isnt compliance orientated and my role is still infrastructure, thank god! bonus point for you: same infrastructure role pays 30% more just by tacking "security" on the title..)

[Anonymous Coward]

"to secure or enable unauthorised access to a program or data"

So we can sue Microsoft for what they did with Windows 10 ?

[chivo243]

I don't know where to start

Perp: Get this computer off of the domain

Shop: ???