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Indian student jailed for damaging computers in US
PTI
Last Updated IST
On November 26, 2008, 10 LeT terrorists arrived by sea route and opened fire, killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel.
On November 26, 2008, 10 LeT terrorists arrived by sea route and opened fire, killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel.

A 27-year-old Indian student has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment, to be followed by twelve months of supervised release, for intentionally damaging over 60 computers of a college in New York.

The youth, identified as Vishwanath Akuthota of Albany, was also ordered to pay USD 58,471 as restitution charge, United States Attorney Grant C Jaquith said on Tuesday.

Pleading guilty, Akuthota admitted that on February 14 he inserted a "USB Killer" device into 66 computers, as well as numerous computer monitors and computer-enhanced podiums, owned by the College of St Rose in Albany.

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The device, when inserted into a computer's USB port, sends a command causing the computer's on-board capacitors to rapidly charge and then discharge repeatedly, thereby overloading and physically destroying the USB port and electrical system.

Akuthota is a citizen of India and was residing in the United States on a student visa. He has been in custody since his arrest in North Carolina on February 22.

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(Published 14 August 2019, 17:21 IST)