Security News > 2021 > July > Journo who went to prison for 2 years for breaking US cyber-security law is jailed again

Former journalist Matthew Keys, who served two years in prison for posting his Tribune Company content management system credentials online a decade ago in violation of America's Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, has been ordered back to prison for violating the terms of his supervised release.

On Monday, Keys, 34, a resident of Vacaville, California, received an additional six-month sentence and 18 months of supervision with computer monitoring requirements, according to the US Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of California.

Initially indicted in 2013 [PDF] for posting his corporate username and password to IRC, which allowed a miscreant claiming to be a member of the Anonymous hacking group to alter a Los Angeles Time article, Keys was convicted under the controversial CFAA - recently narrowed by the US Supreme Court - and served his two-year sentence.

The judge found the government's case persuasive, and Keys' explanation implausible, and concluded that Keys violated his release requirements.

Reichel nonetheless argues that what happened was not a CFAA violation, particularly in light of the US Supreme Court's recent Van Buren decision.

Reichel hopes to have the case reviewed by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/07/20/journalist_prison_offending/