Times journalist disciplined for computer hacking

A public inquiry into the practices and ethics of the British media, following the News of the World “phone hacking” scandal, has heard that a journalist for The Times hacked into computers.

According to written evidence given by Simon Toms, News International’s interim director of legal affairs, the unnamed journalist was disciplined in 2009 for involvement in computer hacking.

However, Toms was keen to underline to the Leveson Inquiry that the journalist’s hacking exploits (which were not detailed) had not been authorised by the paper’s management.

“I have been made aware of one instance on The Times in 2009 which I understand may have involved a journalist attempting to access information in this way.”

“However, I also understand that this was an act of the journalist and was not authorised by TNL. As such, I understand it resulted in the…

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the anti-virus industry having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent security analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of computer security, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter at @gcluley, on Mastodon at @[email protected], or drop him an email.