Former Langley High School Student Pleads Guilty to Computer Crimes

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- A former Langley High School student, Zachary Shames, pleaded guilty Friday morning in an Alexandria courtroom to charges of aiding and abetting computer intrusions, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia, announced Friday.

Shames, 21, of Great Falls, developed malicious software, known as a keylogger, that allowed users to steal sensitive information, such as passwords and banking credentials, from a victim’s computer, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Shames sold his keylogger to more than 3,000 users who, in turn, used it to infect more than 16,000 victim computers, the Office said.

Shames developed the initial versions of his keylogger while attending high school, the U.S. Attorney's Office said, and continued to modify and market the illegal product from his college dorm room at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

Shames faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and will be sentenced on June 16, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

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