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UK man faces five charges for repeated Facebook hacks

Phabricator penetrated

A 25-year-old UK man has been charged with five counts of illegal hacking for repeatedly penetrating the security defenses of Facebook.

Glenn Steven Mangham of York was accused of engaging in a hacking spree against Facebook earlier this year. From April 27 to May 9, he allegedly targeted at least three different services used by the social network. According to The Telegraph, the services included a Facebook “puzzle server,” a “mailman” server and a restricted part of a “Facebook Phabricator server."

Mangham appeared briefly in Westminster magistrates' court on Wednesday and was released on bail. Judge Nicholas Evans ordered the defendant not to use the internet and to surrender his iPhone and any other devices capable of accessing the net while the case is pending.

Details of the alleged security breach were sketchy. The Telegraph said Mangham “repeatedly hacked into a Facebook 'puzzle server' using software he had downloaded.” The report went on to say Mangham “allegedly knew that doing so could disrupt its operation.” The mailman server he allegedly targeted may have been used to to run internal and external email distribution lists.

Mangham is accused of having “a special software script to hack into the Phabricator server.” The Facebook Phabricator is a collection of open-source applications for the site.

Users' personal data wasn't compromised in the hacks, a Facebook spokesman said. Mangham is scheduled to reappear in court next month for a committal hearing. ®

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