Are Crackers Behind AOL Spree?

Wired | at | by Mike

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America Online users, you have unwanted packages -- due either to the activities of malicious hackers, aggressive pop-up ads or a sudden widespread epidemic of shopping amnesia. AOL has billed thousands of its users for products presented in pop-up ads after users clicked a "no thanks" button to refuse the offer, according to a lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The charges were made public late Monday.

A group of hackers who focus on finding security holes in AOL's systems contend the most likely culprits are a bunch of bored kids who hacked into AOL accounts, perhaps with the assistance of disgruntled AOL employees. Members of this group recently reported two major security holes in AOL's Instant Messenger program.