It has been reported by Reuters that one of the worlds top hackers was hired by a News Corp subsidiary, Harper Collins, to hack into the security system of a rival satellite television source.

News Corp, the media conglomerate that’s parent to a number of New and Old Media properties including the Wall Street Journal, MySpace and Fox News Channel, may be subject to a stunning billion dollar civil judgement against them soon, based on the testimony of a hacker described by the Dish Network’s attorney Chad Hagan as one of the “two best hackers in the world.” (Mashable)

The hacker in question is Christopher Tarnovsky. Tarnovsky says that he was paid in cash (the first payment was $20k), and payment was hidden inside electronic devices mailed from a Canadian location.

The $900 million dollar suit against Tarnovsky and NDS is expected to last another two or three weeks.

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