Hacker Guccifer, who targeted presidents and celebrities, gets 4 years in prison
A plea agreement means jail time for a 44-year-old who accessed accounts of two former presidents and several celebrities.
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the US, was among those Guccifer hacked.
Marcel Lehel Lazar, a 44-year-old Romanian, was sentenced to 52 months in prison for hacking high-profile figures including former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Using his nickname Guccifer, he was credited with uncovering the existence of a private email server for former secretary of state and now Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Other victims included former Secretary of State Colin Powell and celebrities such as Robert Redford, Steve Martin and Nicole Kidman.
"According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement...Lazar intentionally gained unauthorized access to personal email and social media accounts belonging to approximately 100 Americans, and he did so to unlawfully obtain his victims' personal information and email correspondence," the US Justice Department said in a statement Thursday. "In many instances, Lazar publically released his victims' private email correspondence, medical and financial information and personal photographs."
Internet attacks hop readily over national borders, and prosecuting hackers far from a victim's country can be difficult. Lazar, though, was extradited to the US in March.
Lazar may be sentenced, but his nickname lives on. A newer hacking name, Guccifer 2.0, is associated with hacks on the Democratic National Committee and leaking documents on Clinton during the US election season.