"Police blotter" is a weekly News.com report on the intersection of technology and the law.

What: Wireless hacker pleads guilty when his Google searches are used as evidence against him.

When: 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rules on October 27.

Outcome: Prison sentence of 15 months upheld.

What happened, according to court documents:
Matthew Schuster began work as a computer technician for Alpha Computer Services in Wausau, Wisc., in 2000. Schuster provided technical support for a wireless Internet system called CWWIS and also was a paying subscriber to CWWIS for his home.

Schuster was fired in May 2003. His home CWWIS account was terminated and the balance of his monthly payment refunded. But he continued to use CWWIS by using "access information" belonging to Alpha customers such as the Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau--and, according to the FBI, he intentionally disrupted CWWIS as well.

An article written by a consultant hired by the FBI gives additional details. CWWIS was using MAC address authentication (a unique 48-bit number) and Schuster copied other customers' MAC addresses.

Full story: News.com