INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightWest Yorkshire PoliceImage caption
Scott Burns was jailed for 10 months after previously pleading guilty
to eight counts under the Computer Misuse Act
A former Jet2 IT contractor with a grudge has been jailed for a cyber-attack
on the company.Scott Burns, 27, of Queen Street in Morley, Leeds, was jailed for 10 months for his actions, which cost the company
following an incident at a 2017 "Benidorm roadshow", Leeds Crown Court heard.Details about happened at the event in Benidorm were not
outlined in court.The court heard only fast-thinking by one employee at the Leeds-based airline stopped Burns' actions being a "complete
disaster" for Jet2.Burns pleaded guilty to eight counts under the Computer Misuse Act at a previous hearing.More Yorkshire storiesJudge
Andrew Stubbs QC told Burns: "You intended to cause as much damage to Jet2's computer system as you could."This went far beyond being
This was a revenge attack for a perceived slight you had suffered."Judge Stubbs said he needed to send a message about the "pernicious and
far-reaching impact" of cyber-crime to "those minded to commit this type of offence".Prosecutor Rebecca Austin told the court Burns used
logins he still had to access the system and delete all user accounts, including those with admin privileges.She said another IT employee
managed to create a new hidden admin account as the attack was happening, allowing accounts to be rebuilt from a back-up and averting
"complete disaster".She said Burns also accessed the email account of Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapey.Jamie Horncastle, from the National
Crime Agency, said: "Network intrusion is not a victimless crime
Not only did Burns' actions have a potential financial impact on Jet2, it caused huge disruption to their staff and technical
operations."Follow TheIndianSubcontinent Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@TheIndianSubcontinent.co.uk.
