Hackers Selling their Product

Thomas James Frederick Smith, 21, and David Anthony Edwards, 20, have been indicted for conspiring to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer and commit computer fraud. The indictment alleges that the two infected susceptible computers with an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) bot that would allow the two to direct the infected computer to repeatedly access an IP address of their choosing as part of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack. The two infected numerous computers assembling a "botnet," a large number of computers infected with the IRC bot. After assembling the botnet, Smith demonstrated the botnet's ability to a potential buyer by deliberately flooding the IP address of ThePlanet.com, an internet service provider in Dallas.

The two are set for trial on November 16, 2009. They face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution.