Anonymous-Linked Hacker Sentenced to Probation for Koch Industries Attack

A judge sentenced a Wisconsin man Monday to two years of probation for his role in a cyber-attack against Koch Industries, a multinational corporation involved in manufacturing, trading and investments.

According to authorities, Eric J. Rosol, 38, admitted his role in an attack sponsored by the Anonymous collective in February 2011. In addition to the probation, Rosol was also ordered by the court to pay $183,000 in restitution for the attack.

Rosol confessed to taking part in a denial-of-service attack on Feb. 28, 2011, on the web page of Koch Industries, Kochind.com. Using a tool called a Low Orbit Ion Cannon, Rosol took part in the attack for approximately a minute. The attack, organized by hacktivists, caused the website to go offline for roughly 15 minutes.

Koch Industries is owned by brothers David and Charles Koch, who are well-known for their conservative politics. At the time of the attack, a political group known as Americans for Prosperity that was founded with the brothers’ support was leading a campaign to support controversial budget and labor law initiatives favored by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. The situation was contentious, with protests occurring in Wisconsin on both sides.

Koch Industries was forced to hire a consulting group to protect its Web sites at a cost of approximately $183,000.

During the past few years, investigations into hacktivist activities by people affiliated by Anonymous have led to dozens of arrests and convictions. Last month, a judge sentenced Jeremy Hammond to 10 years in prison for his role in hacking intelligence think-tank Stratfor in 2011. Hammond pleaded guilty to the charges in May.