Judge Whacks Wi-Fi Hacker with 18-Year Prison Sentence
Judge Whacks Wi-Fi Hacker with 18-Year Prison Sentence
Posted 07/13/2011 at 8:51am
| by Paul Lilly
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A Minnesota man is finding out that you can actually serve hard time for actling like an all-around jackass online. That can take many forms, but in this case, Barry Ardolf received an 18-year prison sentence for essentially terrorizing his neighborhood through a series of cyberattacks in retaliation for having the cops called on him by his neighbors. It gets more bizarre.
According to the Pioneer Press and Digital Trends, Ardolf's "cybercampaign of terror" was ignited back in 2008 when his neighbors, Matt and Bethany Kostolnick, filed a police report against him for planting what they called a "wet kiss" on their 4-year-old son's lips. According to the police report, the young child wandered over to Ardolf's property shortly after moving into the neighborhood. He then reportedly picked the boy up, carried him back home, and kissed him on the lips.
After that incident, Ardolf, 46, then a technician at Medtronic, hacked into the Kostolnik's wireless router using a program he downloaded to crack the WEP encryption. Over the course of 707 days, Kostolnick opened email accounts in Kostolnik's name to send lewd and threatening messages to his contacts, he sent death threats to the vice president and other elected officials using Kostolnik's name, and created a fake MySpace page for Matt Kostolnik and uploaded child porn, which he then emailed to co-workers at Kostolnik's law office.
Kostolnik's law office hired a firm to track down the culprit, which it did by installing a packet sniffer. After some time, Ardolf's name and Comcast account came up, and the FBI took over. He was ultimately charged with a number of crimes, including identity theft, unauthorized access to a protected computer, making threats agasint Biden, possession of child pornography, and distribution of child porn. He was charged in June 2010, rejected a plea deal, and was indicted on more charges before going to trial and later pleading guilty.
Ardolf, who is a widower and father of three children of his own, apologized to the Kostolniks before sentencing, but according to the Pionner Press, he spent most of the time talking about himself.
More details are available here. Check it out, and then tell us if what you think of the punishment.
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winmaster
July 18, 2011 at 12:25pm
"Judge Whacks Wi-Fi Hacker with 18-Year Prison Sentence"
The things this guy did go WAY beyond Wi-Fi hacking to the point where it doesn't seem revelant on a tech website. Let us know when someone gets arrested for just "borrowing" thier neighbor's Wi-Fi.
POMF2K
July 13, 2011 at 9:47pm
Aside from the kiddy porn, that all seems relatively harmless. I don't know if 18 years is warranted. It's not like any sersious harm was done. Then again, child porn is hardly "acting like an all around jackass." My only thought would be that society gains little by locking this man up for 18 years. I doubt he'll serve near that much, but I've no doubt he'll be pretty f'ed up once he is released. Then maybe he'll become a real threat to the public.
I enjoyed the comment about unplugging the router. Remember these are everyday Americans. Two Thirds rule. . .
I'm really curious as to what this guy's plea bargain entailed and why the hell he didn't take it.
Annoyance
July 17, 2011 at 7:15pm
Want 18 years in Jail?
Here are the Utilities to put you there...
Nmap - discover IP's, open ports, and MAC addresses
Airodump - Aircrack - WiFi Cracking
outSSIDer - Hunt WiFi signals (Hotspots)
BackTrack 3 - Lockpick - multi-tool for cracking Wi-Fi. (#1 Utility)
NetStumbler - View any Wireless Network
Now for the packet Sniffer you'll have to google that Have fun!
maleficarus™
July 14, 2011 at 5:17am
To put this all into perspective: 5 years ago I made a huge mistake. I was drinking and driving (DUI). I was pulled over but I didn't stop. I tried to out-run the police ( Evade police). I then refused to blow a breath sample (extra charge). I was looking at 15 months. I was sentenced to 8 months max security. I served 5 and was released. I lost my licence for 3 years. I didn't hurt anyone or kill anybody. I didn't even damage my car. But I could have and so I paid the price for that. I applied for my full pardon which cost me $800 CAD and I have to wait for a total of 7 years for it to fully go through the system. My cell-mate at that time shot a person 6 times with a .38 in a packed bar, he pleaded guilty to second degree murder. He was sentenced to 15 years.
My point is, does the time fit my crime?. Does it fit his crime? Would it have been fair for me to be sentenced to 18 years? I don't think so...
someuid
July 13, 2011 at 12:12pm
Anyone here find it stupid the family being pestered let it go on for 2 years and didn't bother to think "let's turn off the wireless router"?
Or the security consultant didn't suggest setting up a WPA secured network for the family to use, and left the WEP network up to assist in catching this guy?
And seriously - 2 years to figure out which of your 3 or 4 neighbors is doing this?
There is so much lame fail written all over this, it should be considered non-news.
gruvsf
July 13, 2011 at 3:15pm
@someuid
you assume that this couple who were the victims know as much about wireless networking as you or I do, which clearly over estimates their capabilities
Ghok
July 13, 2011 at 10:32am
My only complaint would be if he had gotten a higher sentence based on the fact he used a computer to commit these offenses. There are some screwy laws on the book because of ignorant fear. You mention "hacker" in a courtroom and it often seems like the sentence doubles. These are however, pretty serious crimes that can cause a lot of damage. I am often critical on how the FBI always seems to get involved in even the most minor computer guy... but this guy did spoof a threat against the vice president, which they are forced to take seriously. I don't know, the sentence does seem on the high end to me... but they are also in no way minor crimes.
Guy also sounds pretty messed up. I'd have been more merciful. He needs jail time for what he's done; and for the protection of the public, he needs to be watched... but it also sounds like he needs a lot of help. Sounds like he's an unlikable guy who jerked his lawyers and the court around a whole lot, and I think that has something to do with his harsh sentence.
I Like Turtles
July 14, 2011 at 9:24am
And maybe because of the death threat to the VP of THE UNITED STATES.
zNelson24
July 13, 2011 at 10:07am
At first when I looked at the title, I was all "WTF!?". After reading it, I'd say good riddence. He commited libelous acts, made death threats, and uploaded child porn under someone else's name. And all for some little police report that wouldn't have the slightest effect on his life. "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."
maleficarus™
July 13, 2011 at 9:35am
What he did deserved time for sure. But not 18 years. There are many people serving less time for second degree murder!! He deserved a 5 year sentance not 18 freaken years...
JohnP
July 13, 2011 at 7:59pm
You gotta read deep into the PDF file to see that the sentencing was actually MODERATE of all things. The guy could have gotten as much as 528 months (44 years)! Child pornography alone is 7 years flat. Identity theft? 2 years. The list of crimes against this guy is huge, he had no remorse, and the only way to prevent him from doing it again is to lock him away for a long, long time.
maleficarus™
July 14, 2011 at 4:55am
Well here in Canada you only have to serve 2/3rd's of your sentence with good behaviour. So by my math he will be out in 12 years? Still 12 years is a very long time! I have a feeling he will come out worse then when he went in. I can almost see a double murder when he gets out....
Caboose
July 14, 2011 at 9:00am
Don't forget the "hug-a-thug" and the "2-for-1" time in pre-trial custody that people get here too.
gruvsf
July 13, 2011 at 3:19pm
if you read more about the story, the guy also did something similar to his previous neighbor because he was pissed off that they were taking up too much parking in front of the building, so I think the sentence reflects that he is quite a danger to society. More info here: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/07/wifi-hacking-neighbor-from-hell-gets-18-years-in-prison.ars
dgrmouse
July 13, 2011 at 9:16am
I wonder what kind of protection those of us who do not work at law firms might be afforded from these kinds of attacks.
Darkside
July 13, 2011 at 9:06am
Tormenting a family for nearly two years for a police report (regardless of what it was filed for) is both extreme and uncalled for. IMO, he earned every second in prison.
maleficarus™
July 13, 2011 at 9:38am
Not 18 years dude...Put it into perspective. You can get a 15 year sentance for second degree murder. That is the taking of someones life! 18 years for what is basically extreme harassment is not cool. I can see this guy appealing the sentence and getting it reduced to around 5 years max security...
Orlbuckeye
July 13, 2011 at 12:11pm
have his neighbor identified as a sex offender. Which he would be labeled as for a long time. He or his famly wouldn't be able to work where he wants or live where he wants. What would the innocent father's punishment if they weren't able to prove that the neighbor did it.
Wingzero_x
July 13, 2011 at 10:13am
No 18 years is fair, it's those 2 year sentences for murder (and other violent crimes) that needs to be fixed.
roleki
July 13, 2011 at 10:11am
If you get a few minutes, read the sentencing document. He's not being sentenced solely for the crimes themselves, but for the manner in which he committed them and his level of cooperation with authorities once he was under indictment. He broke the terms of his release on bail and coached witness testimony from inside prison. Let's not forget the incident that led to him being reported to police in the first place, as well as his immediate access to CP. Dangerous, unrepentant asshole deserves 18 years. Deserves more.
TommM
July 13, 2011 at 9:05am
Sentence seems fine to me for what he did. Trying to damage a family's credibility using kiddie-porn and threats to the VP of the United States? It doesn't get too much worse than that. And your report doesn't cover it all. He cyber-attacked another family who dared to park their cars in front of his house.
I feel sorry for his kids, but in the long run, they're probably better off without that nut job as a "dad."
lindethier
July 13, 2011 at 11:23am
Exactly. I can't believe the way this guy reacted. The uploading kiddie-porn and other crazy stuff he did is terrible. He deserves what he got.
Peanut Fox
July 13, 2011 at 9:02am
After two years you'd think he would have just let that go. Seriously 707 days is a slow burn for a grudge.
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