Tag: Quadsys

Two banned directors back on the job

Posted on November 22, 2017 by - News

External-SignTwo banned directors have returned to security reseller Quadsys after their bans expired.

Paul Streeter and Paul Cox hacked a rival’s email account last year, and a judge handed them a suspended jail sentence and banning them from being company directors for a year.

Streeter and Cox resigned as directors of Quadsys last year but were reappointed as of 15 November this year.

Fellow director Alistair Barnard, who received the same sanctions as Streeter and Cox, resigned and is no longer a person of significant control in the company.

The trio and with two other Quadsys employees were found guilty of “obtaining unauthorised access to computer materials with intent to commit an offence” last year, after accessing an email account of rival ITB.

The reseller hired an ex-ITB technician, who arrived at Quadsys with the email passwords, allowing them to view quotes and poach customers.

Some vendors ended their relationship with Quadsys including Sophos, McAfee and Barracuda when the outfit was found out.

Sophos dumps support for Quadsys

Posted on October 5, 2016 by - News

sophos-HQSophos has ended its relationship with security reseller Quadsys after five of its staffers, including three directors of the company, were sentenced for offences committed under the Computer Misuse Act.

Some vendors were quick to terminate their dealings with Quadsys the moment the arrests were announced but Sophos continued to recommend that customers buy their security software from the reseller.  In fact the insecurity outfit  promoted Quadsys to a Platinum Partner just nine days after the five entered their guilty pleas.

Sophos said that the reason it hung on to Quadsys  for so long was that it was waiting for the full facts of the case to be known and the case was over. Now everything is in the public domain, Sophos feels a bit more confident in ending its business relationship with convicted crims.

It has called on any Sophos users who have the deal with Quadsys, who are worried, to give them a ring and they will explain what it all means.

Quadsys staff were arrested after Sensitive data, including pricing information, was stolen from a rival security reseller.

Kaspersky ends reseller contract with Quadsys

Posted on September 5, 2016 by - News, Products

40153923-1-kaspersky1Russian security outfit Kaspersky Lab has told security reseller Quadsys to go forth and multiply after its company bosses admitted hacking rivals.

Quadsys owner Paul Streeter, MD Paul Cox, director Alistair Barnard, account manager Steve Davis and security consultant Jon Townsend pleaded guilty to securing unauthorised access to computer material, contrary to section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

The five were charged in summer 2015 with hacking into a rival’s database to plunder customer information and pricing details. Sentencing is set for 9 September.

Quadsys, which was accredited as a Kaspersky Gold partner, the vendor’s top tier certification has moved to distance itself from the troubled outfit and has ended its business relationship with the company.

Others are expected to follow, but still have not gone on record.  Sophos had actually promoted Quadsys to its platinum certification on 1 August, just nine days after the Quadsys Five pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court.

Security reseller faces hacking charges

Posted on July 25, 2016 by - News

acb20792e8439a1d28a1f2cdbd7fdf1cFive employees from cybersecurity outfit Quadsys have admitted to hacking into a rival company’s servers.

The hack was apparently to nick customer data and pricing information and the top Quadsys managers have fessed up and pleaded guilty to hacking charges. Oxfordshire, UK-based Quadsys is a reseller of IT and cybersecurity products, hardware and services. The firm sells software from vendors including Websense, Checkpoint and F-Secure. Customers include Leeds United FC, South Tyne and Wear Primary Care Trust and Derry City Council.

The owner of Quadsys, Paul Streeter, managing director Paul Cox, director Alistair Barnard, account manager Steve Davies and security consultant Jon Townsend all appeared at Oxford Crown Court and admitted to “obtaining unauthorised access to computer materials to facilitate the commission of an offence”.

This could lead to up to 12 months testing the security bars of a prison.

In March 2015, the five men were arrested and then charged in August. The group were originally held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit computer misuse offences, unauthorised PC access and conspiracy to acquire and use criminal property — allegedly, the data belonging to customers of the rival company, as well as the firm’s pricing tiers.

However there are signs that they might not get the full weight of the law pressing upon them. The judge in charge of the case reduced the severity of the charges. All five pleaded not guilty to one count of “securing unauthorised access to computer material with intent,” which is against the UK Computer Misuse Act 1990.

After three plea and case hearings, an additional count of securing access to computer material without criminal intent was added to the list, of which Townsend pleaded guilty. Cox was also charged with blackmail, to which he pleaded not guilty.

They are due to be sentenced on 9 September. A second charge, obtaining unauthorised access to computer materials with intent to commit an offence, will also be heard.

 

Quadsys court case gets closer

Posted on May 17, 2016 by - News

External-SignA Crown court judge has dismissed an abuse of process application made by three former directors of Sophos reseller Quadsys, who are facing trial over allegations of hacking into a rival’s database to steal customer and pricing info.

Thames Valley Police charged five men at Quadsys including owner Paul Streeter, Managing Director Paul Cox, director Alistair Barnard, account manager Steve Davies and security consultant Jon Townsend with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

In a plea and case management hearing (PCMH) in March, the defendants pleaded not guilty to one count of securing unauthorised access to computer material with intent, contrary to section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Another count of securing unauthorised access to computer material without intent was also added.

Streeter, Cox and Barnard had asked the judge presiding over the case at the PCMH several months ago to throw out the charges relating to Section One of the Computer Misuse Act, which carry a minimum sentence of five years if guilt is proven.

Three applications were refused by the judge but no reasons were given.  The five will face trial on 5 September.