Computer Hacker Pleads No Contest to Charge of Defacing NASA Web Page

On March 13, 2001, Matthew S. Lawrence, Shelton, Connecticut, pleaded
no contest to violating Connecticut Public Act 99-160, Unauthorized Use
of a Computer, for hacking into a NASA computer and defacing a web
page.

In February 2000, Lawrence hacked into the web server for the Office of
Human Resources at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and defaced
its Internet web page. This resulted in labor costs to rebuild the
computer system and kept the web server out of service for almost a
month.

Lawrence was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and was
placed on probation for 2 years.

This investigation was conducted by Special Agents from the NASA Office
of Inspector General (OIG), Network and Advanced Technologies
Protection Office (NATPO), Computer Crimes Division and detectives from
the Shelton Police Department. The prosecution was conducted by Paul
O. Gaetano, Assistant State’s Attorney, Shelton, Connecticut.

For more information on this release, please call Stephen J. Nesbitt,
NASA OIG, Director of Operations, NATPO, at (202) 358-2576.