Hacker found shot, conspiracy?

[tampabay420]

Slovenian hacker found shot dead
By John Leyden
Posted: 12/08/2003 at 12:21 GMT


A Slovenian hacker who ran into legal conflict with one of the country's leading banks over an alleged security weakness was found dead last week.

Police believe Robert Skulj, 28, killed himself with a shot to the head from a gun found at the scene. Skulj's body was found in his locked apartment in the city of Trzic last Friday.

Last year, Skulj claimed he had found a serious security hole in an electronic business system called Klik used by Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), a bank in Slovenia.

According to local reports, he entered into negotiation with NLB to sell a Trojan horse that exploited the flaw he had discovered - along with a security fix - to the bank for €500,000 ($568,050).

NLB treated the approach as blackmail and brought charges against him last October. Slovenian police arrested Skulj and confiscated the technology he was offering to sell to the bank.

Skulj was subsequently acquitted of any fraud by the Slovenian courts.

He then sued the bank and the state of Slovenia for 200 million Slovenian Tolar (€850,000) for wrongful prosecution and the confiscation of his Trojan code.

But before the case could be heard, Skulj apparently took his own life.

His exact motives remain unclear but it is believed he was unable to cope with the stress of the court case brought against him and his own the follow-up action. ®

Thanks to Reg reader Gregor Papez for informing us about this story.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/32292.html

makes you think, doesn't it?

[Plastic]

damn politics..... and damn government conspiracies

[tampabay420]

I think it was the bank, no matter what way you look at it- the bank makes out better having him killed. it's certainly cheaper than paying his ransom, and most likely cheaper than the extended court fees...

money money money, the r00t of all evil!

[Plastic]

or, the government didn't want to deal with the situation.. and dealt with it they're own way... but ya never know... it's just plain messed up

[manicchester]

Perhaps the bank gave him enough threats that he just couldn't handle it....seems more logical then the company actually having him killed.

[tampabay420]

If he couldn't handle it, the first thing (logically) that he’d do is drop his counter-suit?
Logically speaking i still think he was knocked-off

[el-half]

I think it was the bank, no matter what way you look at it- the bank makes out better having him killed. it's certainly cheaper than paying his ransom, and most likely cheaper than the extended court fees...

money money money, the r00t of all evil!

Yep, that's what this damn world is all about. I agree that it's probably the bank that killed him.
Out of the question, just something I thought about while reading this thread: Banks control the world, not the governments, no government is going to bankrupt an important bank because that will mess up the economy.

[bballad]

O ksome one correct me if I am mistaken here, but isn't thsi country exsoviet? If that is the case then the bank is probably run by one of three groups (they controll most busniess). Hte Russian mob, exKGB, ex Hard line communists. WHy would you try to black mail any of these groups..its just asking to show up dead.

[cross]

are they saying it was suicide just because the door was locked? I mean how hard is it to lock a door?

[nihil]

As it says in The Book:

"The wages of sin is death"

If I were the Coroner/CSI I would say that "He died of an overdose of stupidity", because he was messing with the wrong kind of people.

Done it before......will do it again?...............Mob run organisations (yeah, the government as well)...........................most economical solution?............sounds reasonable?

If he were competent as a criminal, he would have taken the money and dissappeared?.............I guess he was playing outside his league?

Or maybe he wasn't that good.........he certainly left himself no career path?

As it also says in The Book:

"He who sows the seeds of discontent shall also reap the Whirlwind"

I think that I have to return an "open verdict" as it is called in England....that means "haven't got the faintest idea"

I just have the sneaking suspicion that if he had been found guilty and given a hundred bucks fine and a month in jail he would still be alive...........THEY don't like loosing?

It is sad , even if he were a black hat............I think he was more a grey hat sitting on the fence, and he fell off?

Cheers