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Thursday Apr 24, 2008
Hacker on News Corp. Payroll for 10 Years
A computer hacker testified on Wednesday that a News Corp. unit hired him to develop pirating software, but denied using it to penetrate the security system of a rival satellite television service. Christopher Tarnovsky who said his first payment was $20,000 in cash hidden in electronic devices mailed from Canada testified in a corporate-spying lawsuit brought against News Corp's NDS Group by DISH Network Corp. The plaintiffs claim Tarnovsky, one of the "two best hackers in the world," was tasked with hacking into DISH's satellite network and stealing code which would then allow the NDS Group to flood the market with knock-off smart cards. Had he succeeded, the estimated cost to DISH would have been $900 million. Tarnovsky says he's been on the Harper Collins payroll for the past 10 years. UPDATE: We called Erin Crum, director of corporate communications at Harper Collins, for comment. She was unaware of the story and said she call us back. After waiting 30 minutes, we called her back and she said she had no comment, citing the fact that "it's a News Corp. lawsuit." Calls to News Corp.'s PR have yet to be returned. UPDATE: Teri Everett, senior vice president corporate affairs & communications, emails us the following statement: Statement from NDS on Echostar Litigation Email This Post |
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