Hackers plundering Brazilian rain forest
Wired Blog Network
Brazilian authorities are investigating a hacking ring controlled by logging companies that allowed harvesters to plunder rain forest resources protected under government quotas. The authorities -- who have arrested more than 30 people implicated in the scandal and are said to be eying 200 more -- allege hackers from logging and charcoal concerns have unlawfully accessed government logging databases. The intrusions allowed them to obtain extra "transport permits" to remove resources from the Amazon. Permits are tied to a set amount of volume.