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Accused hacker poised to plead in Comcast attack
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
A Tumwater man accused of hijacking the Comcast Web site alongside two other hackers appears poised to enter a
guilty plea.
James Robert Black, Jr., was charged with computer crimes in November after federal prosecutors unveiled allegations
that he and two other members of a hacker group "Kryogeniks" had briefly taken over the Comcast.net in an apparent
prank.
Outlining the allegations in plea paperwork filed by one of Black's co-defendants, Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert S.
Glenn describes Kryogeniks as "a hacking and phone phreaking group" that included all three men.
Days before the May 28, 2008, incident, Black -- who went by the online moniker "Defiant" -- spoke with co-defendants
Christopher "EBK" Lewis and Michael "Slacker" Nebel about the Comcast-owned site FEARnet.com, Glenn told the
court. The trio opted to attempt to take control of the Comcast.net site for reasons not described in charging documents.
Lewis, who pleaded guilty Wednesday to intentionally damaging a protected computer system, called a Comcast
employee at the man's Pennsylvania home on May 27, 2008, and questioned him about the horror movie-themed Web
site. The Newark, Del., resident spent the day gathering information that he and his conspirators allegedly used to
break into the Comcast site.
The following day, Lewis, Black and Nebel are alleged to have hacked into the Comcast server and redirected users to
a Web page bragging of their activity, Glenn told the court. Writing the court, Glenn alleged that the group took control
of a network in Sweden, then used that network to break into Comcast's servers in an effort to obscure the source of
the virtual break-in.
"Comcast customers trying to read their e-mail or listen to their voice mail were sent to a Web site on which the only
thing that they could find was a message that read 'KRYOGENIKS Defiant and EBK RoXed COMCAST sHouTz to VIRUS
Warlock elul21 coll1er seven,'" according to a U.S. Justice Department statement.
Though the men's actions only cut most users off of the site for about 90 minutes, the interruption cost Comcast about
$128,578, according to court documents.
The hackers also changed the e-mail address of one employee to "kryogeniksdefiant@gmail.com," an apparent
reference to Black's moniker.
Black, a Tumwater resident, recently had his case moved to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for Western
Washington under a procedural rule meant to allow federal defendants to plead guilty without traveling to a distant
jurisdiction. According to Associated Press reports, he is scheduled to plead guilty later this week.
Black's attorney did not return a request for comment Friday.
Speaking with Wired magazine's Threat Level blog, Black claimed he told his confederates they "shouldn't do this" while
they were hacking the system.
"The situation has kind of blown up here, a lot bigger than I thought it would," Black told Wired, according to a report
published the day after the attack. "I wish I was a minor right now because this is going to be really bad."
Black was 19 when the hack occurred.
Lewis told Wired he "really wasn't thinking" during the attack, but was upset by Comcast's service. He is scheduled to be
sentenced May 21.
Nebel has pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. Having been released on bond, he was taken into custody Feb.
22.
Black is currently free on bail. Like Lewis, he faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
A Tumwater man accused of hijacking the Comcast Web site alongside two other hackers appears poised to enter a
guilty plea.
James Robert Black, Jr., was charged with computer crimes in November after federal prosecutors unveiled allegations
that he and two other members of a hacker group "Kryogeniks" had briefly taken over the Comcast.net in an apparent
prank.
Outlining the allegations in plea paperwork filed by one of Black's co-defendants, Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert S.
Glenn describes Kryogeniks as "a hacking and phone phreaking group" that included all three men.
Days before the May 28, 2008, incident, Black -- who went by the online moniker "Defiant" -- spoke with co-defendants
Christopher "EBK" Lewis and Michael "Slacker" Nebel about the Comcast-owned site FEARnet.com, Glenn told the
court. The trio opted to attempt to take control of the Comcast.net site for reasons not described in charging documents.
Lewis, who pleaded guilty Wednesday to intentionally damaging a protected computer system, called a Comcast
employee at the man's Pennsylvania home on May 27, 2008, and questioned him about the horror movie-themed Web
site. The Newark, Del., resident spent the day gathering information that he and his conspirators allegedly used to
break into the Comcast site.
The following day, Lewis, Black and Nebel are alleged to have hacked into the Comcast server and redirected users to
a Web page bragging of their activity, Glenn told the court. Writing the court, Glenn alleged that the group took control
of a network in Sweden, then used that network to break into Comcast's servers in an effort to obscure the source of
the virtual break-in.
"Comcast customers trying to read their e-mail or listen to their voice mail were sent to a Web site on which the only
thing that they could find was a message that read 'KRYOGENIKS Defiant and EBK RoXed COMCAST sHouTz to VIRUS
Warlock elul21 coll1er seven,'" according to a U.S. Justice Department statement.
Though the men's actions only cut most users off of the site for about 90 minutes, the interruption cost Comcast about
$128,578, according to court documents.
The hackers also changed the e-mail address of one employee to "kryogeniksdefiant@gmail.com," an apparent
reference to Black's moniker.
Black, a Tumwater resident, recently had his case moved to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for Western
Washington under a procedural rule meant to allow federal defendants to plead guilty without traveling to a distant
jurisdiction. According to Associated Press reports, he is scheduled to plead guilty later this week.
Black's attorney did not return a request for comment Friday.
Speaking with Wired magazine's Threat Level blog, Black claimed he told his confederates they "shouldn't do this" while
they were hacking the system.
"The situation has kind of blown up here, a lot bigger than I thought it would," Black told Wired, according to a report
published the day after the attack. "I wish I was a minor right now because this is going to be really bad."
Black was 19 when the hack occurred.
Lewis told Wired he "really wasn't thinking" during the attack, but was upset by Comcast's service. He is scheduled to be
sentenced May 21.
Nebel has pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. Having been released on bond, he was taken into custody Feb.
22.
Black is currently free on bail. Like Lewis, he faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.