Hacking Exposed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Hacking Exposed - Essay Example viewing the Defense Threat Reduction Agency server, the agency of the Department of Defense; and â€Å"downloaded the proprietary environmental control software for the International Space Station — the programming that controlled the temperature and humidity in the station’s living space† (What’s the latest, 2010, par.1). Initially, James was â€Å"banned from recreational computer use and was slated to serve a six-month sentence under house arrest with probation. However, he served six months in prison for violation of parole† (IT Security, 2010, par.7). It was clearly indicated in the article that James hacked computers for fun. He was exposed to computers at a very young age. His father remembers James as â€Å"a passionate computer geek, who started playing with the family PC at the age of 6, and switched his own computer from Windows to Linux in middle school† (What’s the latest, 2010, par. 8). Due to the tender age of James, at 16, when he was sentenced for the crimes committed, what could have been a 10 year sentence of incarceration for an adult for the crime, he was only restricted from using the computer and was on house arrest with clear probation. Given the sensitivity of the organizations he hacked, he should have been given a more stringent punishment in terms of an extended period of incarceration (or house arrest, for that matter). Or, since he has proven to have the intelligence and the capacity to intrude sensitive softwares of top organizations, one of these organizations could have used his potentials to productive use. By merely letting him go after the punishment, he was again suspected of â€Å"being part of the conspiracy responsible for the largest identity theft in U.S. history. He was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home on May 18, 2008, less than two weeks after agents raided his house in connection with a hacking ring that penetrated TJX, DSW and OfficeMax, among others† (Whats, 2010, par.6). Ultimately,