Teenage Gamer Gets 2-Year Jail Sentence For Hacking Business

From time to time, the video game industry experiences momentous developments that shake its foundations. A recent case where a teen gamer was given a jail sentence that will last two years is one such development. It would appear that the teen ran a hacking business called Titanium Stresser, which caused considerable damage to Microsoft and other companies.

The teen in question is UK citizen, Adam Mudd, The Guardian reports. Mudd pled guilty to the crime of running a business that offered DDoS services to people that were not only easy to use but also cheap enough to actually be afforded by numerous customers. As a result, his service was used to carry out over 1.7 million attacks in several countries over the course of two years.

DDoS attacks are basically clumps of data designed to overwhelm servers with multiple attempted access, forcing them to shut down. Among the most prominent targets include Minecraft, which is owned by Microsoft and the popular MMORPG, Runescape.

Mudd supposedly started his business when he was 16 years old. Now, at 20 years of age, the hacker will be spending upwards of two years behind bars. While Judge Michael Topolski did consider his background of coming from a decent family, the harm caused by the defendant’s crimes couldn’t be overlooked.

The consequences of his business affected companies in countries as far apart as Greenland and New Zealand, after all. As a result, the judge felt that there needed to be what he called a “real element of deterrent.”

There was also the fact that Mudd pleaded guilty to carrying out a few DDoS attacks of his own, including one that targeted his own college, PC Gamer reports. During the course of the case, it was revealed that the teen never needed the money, to begin with. Running the business and offering his services was all about gaining prestige within the community, which often reveled in rebellious behavior.