An Indian-American student, pleaded guilty of launching a huge cyberattack on a United States university’s computer network. He along with two others created a giant botnet that badly affected the internet and systems of the university.
The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, that Paras Jha, 21 (New Jersey) was accompanied by two others youth named Josiah White, 20 (Pennsylvania) and Dalton Norman, 21 (Louisiana). The three students have pleaded guilty to creating two botnet and operating it last year that targeted the IoT (‘Internet of Things’) devices and shut the server down.
In a statement by the Acting US Attorney William Fitzpatrick yesterday, He said “Paras Jha has admitted his responsibility for multiple hacks of the Rutgers University computer system, These computer attacks shutdown the server used for all communications among faculty, staff and students, including assignment of course work to students, and students’ submission of their work to professors to be graded,”
“The defendant’s actions effectively paralysed the system for days at a time and maliciously disrupted the educational process for tens of thousands of Rutgers’ students.”
Mr. Fitzpatrick further informed that the defendant has admitted his role in the aforesaid criminal offence and will now face the legal consequences.
Paras accepted of violating the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act, In a guilty plea filed before the US District Judge Michael Shipp in federal court of Trenton, in New Jersey.
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Paras executed a series of attacks on the networks of Rutgers University between November 2014 and September 2016, as stated by the court documents.
These attacks severely hampered and shut down the Rutgers University’s central authentication server. This server maintains the gateway portal through which staff, faculty, and students deliver assignments and assessments along with many other things.
On multiple occasions Paras succeeded in bringing down the portal offline for no. of consecutive periods. He caused damage to not just the university and its faculty, but also it’s students.
The count to which Paras Jha is pleading guilty has a statutory punishment of maximum 10 years in prison and a fine of either USD 250,000, or two times the gross amount of any gain or loss incurred from the offence, whichever is greater.
The Sentencing of the guilty students, is scheduled for March 13.
Earlier on December 8, Jha, White and Norman had pleaded guilty to criminal informations in the District of Alaska. They were all charged with conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act by operating the Mirai Botnet.
