Two active members of the international group of hackers called "Xbox Underground", a group which attacked Microsoft and various game publishers, have pleaded guilty yesterday at a U.S. court in the State of Delaware.
Americans David Pokora (22) and Sanadodeh Nesheiwat (28) have been hit with charges of conspiracy, computer fraud and copyright infringement, charges which could lead to prison sentences of up to five years if they are found guitly in January. Two other Americans and an Australian have also been indicted.
The group of hackers had gained access to a US Army network, and had also hacked Microsoft. The prosecution accuses the defendants of stealing intellectual property worth over $100 million.
"They were extremely sophisticated hackers. Do not be fooled by their age," U.S. Attorney Ed McAndrew is quoted as saying. Their method was simple: theft of user names and the passwords of Microsoft employees and software development partners.
When they were inside the network, they have, according to the authorities, stolen unreleased software, software source code, trade secrets and other information. They also have taken financial data and other sensitive information relating to the company.
The prosecution says that the hackers wanted to make and sell their own Xbox One consoles before the official release of the device last year. They also stole militarily relevant data from Seattle-based Zombie Studios, a developer who works with the U.S. Army on flight simulation software for the Apache helicopter pilot training program.