You know what they say – "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." But that's a phrase whose implications Marcel-Lehel Lazar – a hacker who went by the alias "Gucipher" – evidently never really considered. Although he had no trouble at all doing the crime, he's not finding the time nearly as easy to do.
Welcome to prison, hacker
Prison sentences for hackers are becoming an increasingly common thing. That's likely because hacking is now seen as more of a threat than ever before. Whereas cybercrime in its first iteration was largely just a big annoyance, these days it's a force that has the potential to cause damage on the scale of a terrorist attack. And it's being punished accordingly.
In May 2014, hacker David Camez was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his central role in a cybercriminal network, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Speaking about his trial, Assistant Attorney General David A. O'Neil made it clear that Camez's punishment was one that fit the crime.
"Camez was a member of a vast criminal organization that facilitated rampant cyber fraud throughout the world," he said. "Thanks to sophisticated law enforcement efforts, Camez will now pay for his crimes with decades in prison."
Camez's sentencing means he's tied for the longest-ever punishment handed down for a hacker. The stiff penalty Camez was dealt suggests a broader move within the U.S. toward harsher punishments for cybercrime. As FierceITSecurity pointed out, Camez isn't the only recent hacker doing some serious time in the slammer. Others include Max Butler, who was sentenced to 13 years in 2010, and Albert Gonzalez, the leader of the TJK retail hack who was given 20 years in 2010.
With all these hackers, behind bars, the question emerges: How do they fare?
The answer: Not well
Once upon a time Lazar, aka Guccifer, had some serious hacking fun at the expense of George W. Bush, Colin Powell and others. With such high-value targets in his criminal scope, it's little surprise that Guccifer's reign of cyberterror came to a definitive end. That moment occurred in Jan. 2014 when authorities raided Guccifer's home after a lengthy investigation, according to The New York Times. He is now paying for his two years of hacking fun with a seven year sentence, which he's serving in Arad, in his home country of Romania.
During his brief life of crime, Guccifer gained access to the private emails of many powerful people around the globe. But was it worth it? Based on his interview with the Times, decidedly not. First of all, before he was even captured, Guccifer spent a lengthy period in a state of extreme paranoia during which he was always looking over his shoulder and expecting the worst. And now that he's finally behind bars, it isn't any easier.
He is housed in a maximum-security prison. The computer – both his vice and his livelihood – isn't available to him. Instead, he bides his time exploring conspiracy theories in his diary, the Times reported. That sounds like a punishment of its own.
