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Hacker causes problems for San Francisco

PC users were reminded yesterday that it is impossible to be 'too safe', as a San Francisco man pleaded not guilty to hacking in to the city's computer network.

Terry Childs, 43, is accused of hacking in to the city of San Francisco's network of databases, which includes the payroll information of public sector employees, as well as criminal record lists and other highly personal data.

So serious is the alleged breach of security in fact, that Mr Childs had to have his defence lawyer changed because the public defender's office claimed that its payroll was also contained in the information viewable by a potential hacker.

The prosecution have warned that fixing a problem caused by any hacker could cost San Francisco several million dollars.

Such cases are extremely rare of course, but serve as a reminder that protection should not be overlooked, as hacking in to a PC is becoming easier for many would-be pirates who are learning the trades fast.

Mr Childs is accused of creating a single password to the city's network of personal and sensitive data and refusing access to those whose job it is to work with the databases, effectively holding the city to ransom.

His lawyer, Erin Crane, has denied Mr Child's guilt, insisting the case has arrived out of a "big misunderstanding".