$10 for the identity of a teacher. It is for this ridiculous price that a hacker sold the profiles of Quebec teachers to crooks. Identity thief Rath Pak was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Thursday, although he hoped to get away with a home sentence.
“The theft of personal information and its sale are serious crimes. […] These crimes cause anxiety, distress and a feeling of violation of privacy,” underlined Judge Yves Paradis Thursday afternoon at the Montreal courthouse.
Rath Pak, 44, pleaded guilty last February to unauthorized use of a computer, unauthorized possession of credit card information and identity theft.
For 10 months, the hacker illegally entered the government database ICARE (Information on the recognized academic classification of teaching staff). This system contains all the information of all active and retired teachers in Quebec.
“These are premeditated, planned and deliberate actions. A lot of personal information about a significant number of people was obtained. A significant number of this information was sold, around 600, according to the testimony of Mr. Pak,” noted Judge Paradis.
At the accused’s home, the police got their hands on numerous documents relating to the identity of dozens of people, including reports from credit rating agencies. To hack the ICARE system, Rath Pak used the account of a union advisor who was a victim of hacking. He connected through his neighbors’ IP addresses.
In a related case, the pirate Frédéric Lapointe was sentenced this week to two years, less a day, in prison for similar acts. The 44-year-old man, who was not the “mastermind” of the affair, held more than 60,000 teacher profiles. However, it is unknown whether Lapointe and Pak were related. The “brains” of this major theft have obviously not been pinned down.
Rath Pak hoped to serve his prison sentence at home. However, his profile is particularly negative. In fact, the 44-year-old man has hardly worked for 20 years, living “off the hook” of his loved ones. He continues to use drugs, downplaying the effects of his addiction, and has no serious plans to complete his education.
“This is one of those cases where the need to denounce and deter is so pressing that incarceration is the only appropriate sentence,” concludes Judge Paradis.
According to the probation officer, his risk of reoffending is “significant”. Moreover, Rath Pak would have mentioned to the agent that he had determined “intrusion targets” for hacking, namely defense and army sites. He also allegedly boasted of having acquired a reputation in the field. Claims denied by the accused.
Also, Rath Pak told a rather absurd story to his probation officer to explain his anxiety attacks. Thus, he claims to have been tortured by kidnappers to force him to hack banking data. His captors were reportedly so impressed that they offered him a job, which he refused.
“Let us remember that dishonesty is the essence of the offenses committed. This dishonesty affects Mr. Pak’s credibility. In these circumstances, the Court does not believe this event and the alleged anxiety attacks,” said Judge Paradis.
The Crown prosecutors, Me Sarah-Audrey Daigneault and Me Geneviève Bélanger asked for 3 years in penitentiary. Me Andrew Nader defended the accused.