Nahshon Even-Chaim

Early Activity and The Realm

Born in May 1971, Nahshon Even-Chaim came to prominence in the late 1980s as one of the most technically skilled members of The Realm, a computer hacking group based in Melbourne, Australia. Operating under the handle Phoenix, he built a reputation within the group for both his technical ability and his arrogance. He initially gained access to remote systems by dialing indirectly through X.25 networks, later exploiting internet connectivity as it became more widely available.

The Realm's other notable members included Richard Jones (known as Electron) and David John Woodcock (known as Nom). Even-Chaim's targets were concentrated on defense and nuclear weapons research networks, distinguishing him from many of his contemporaries.

Investigation and Arrest

In late 1988, Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers identified Even-Chaim through a combination of undercover work and informants. Following the introduction of new computer crime legislation in June 1989, the AFP obtained a warrant in January 1990 to intercept both his telephone conversations and the data transmitted through his modem. The voice tap began on 26 January 1990 and ran for eight weeks; the data tap commenced two weeks later and continued for six weeks. Both intercepts were monitored remotely by the AFP's Telephone Intercept Branch in Canberra, approximately 650 kilometers from Even-Chaim's home — marking the first time in the world that a remote data intercept had been used to gather evidence for a computer crime prosecution.

The intercepted data revealed Even-Chaim conducting marathon sessions at his computer, moving rapidly between systems. Transcripts of phone calls captured him boasting about unauthorized access to NASA systems and claiming he had reached a point where he could penetrate almost any system on the internet.

After allegedly compromising computers associated with security researchers Eugene Spafford, Clifford Stoll, and Russell L. Brand at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Even-Chaim contacted New York Times journalist John Markoff to dispute an article attributing recent intrusions to a worm. He claimed responsibility for the break-ins on behalf of himself and his associates and ridiculed the security community. Markoff published these claims in a follow-up article in March 1990.

In the early hours of 2 April 1990, AFP officers raided Even-Chaim's home in Caulfield North, suburban Melbourne, and arrested him. Simultaneous raids were conducted on the homes of Jones and Woodcock. Even-Chaim was initially charged with 48 offenses, most carrying a maximum sentence of ten years.

Charges and Sentencing

Even-Chaim pleaded guilty to 15 charges covering unauthorized intrusions into systems at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Melbourne, the University of California Berkeley, NASA in Virginia, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Purdue University in Indiana. The offenses included accessing, inserting, altering, and copying data, as well as obstructing lawful computer use.

On 6 October 1993, having negotiated a reduction in charges, Even-Chaim was sentenced to 500 hours of community service and a 12-month suspended jail term. He revealed little about his motivations either during his police interview or in court proceedings.

Later Life

Following his conviction, Even-Chaim reportedly worked in information technology for a period and developed an interest in music. He has consistently declined to discuss his hacking career publicly, turning down approaches from The Age newspaper in 2003 and from the producer of a television documentary about The Realm.

Documentation and Legacy

The investigation, arrest, and prosecution of Even-Chaim and his co-accused are documented in several works: the book Hackers: The Hunt for Australia's Most Infamous Computer Cracker by AFP investigator Bill Apro and Graeme Hammond; Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier by Suelette Dreyfus; and the 2003 documentary film In the Realm of the Hackers, directed by Kevin Anderson. The case is historically significant in part for its pioneering use of remote data interception as a law enforcement tool in a computer crime prosecution.