Jul 22, 2008 11:58 pm US/Pacific
Accused SF Hacker Gives Newsom Secret Codes
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
A computer engineer accused of illegally taking control of the city of San Francisco's network and locking out other system administrators has turned over the secret access codes directly to Mayor Gavin Newsom during a secret jailhouse meeting, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday evening.
The newspaper said Terry Childs, 43, of Pittsburg, who's being held on charges of computer tampering, surrendered the passwords during the private meeting at the Hall of Justice jail with Newsom — who did not inform police or prosecutors beforehand.
A spokesman for Newsom said the codes were valid and allowed access to the computer network in question. It stores critical city government data, including e-mails, law enforcement records, and payroll documents, officials have said.
Childs, who was a longtime employee in the city's technology department, was due to appear in court Wednesday for a bail reduction hearing and his attorney Erin Crane was expected to cite his cooperation in turning over the information to Newsom.
Childs remained jailed Tuesday night on $5 million bail.
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