Hacker who targeted Cambridge University is jailed

A man who used his IT expertise to launch cyber attacks on the websites of Cambridge and Oxford universities has been jailed for two years.
Lewys Martin, 21, formerly of Dover Road, Walmer, Kent, also knocked Kent Police’s public-facing website offline for more than an hour during a bid to bring it down.
He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court last month to nine charges, including committing “unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of or prevent/hinder access to a computer” and “unauthorised access to computer material”, Kent Police said.
Martin tried to disrupt the websites of Cambridge and Oxford universities by overwhelming them with requests for information between January 29 and February 1.
Police said the universities had “solid protection programmes” in place and, although no sensitive information was disclosed, their websites were offline for up to an hour and 20 minutes.
Then on February 1 and 2, Kent Police suffered an attack at the hands of Martin, leading to its public-facing website also going offline temporarily for an hour and 17 minutes.
Martin was arrested and charged in November last year before admitting his crimes last month. Following sentencing, detectives said cyber crime was a “nuisance” which can cause countless damage for organisations.
It has been estimated that two weeks’ worth of man hours were spent dealing with the cyber attacks on the websites of Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Detective constable Nicky Holland-Day, of Kent Police, said: “Cyber attacks are a nuisance and cause aggravation as well as costs to countless private and public organisations up and down the country.
“Most websites have systems in place to prevent them being compromised, and none of those attacked in these instances suffered any more than a temporary disruption.
“However, those who try to carry out these attacks will be traced and brought before the courts, like Martin, to face the consequence of their actions.