Duo Busted For "Brute Force" iPad Hack Negotiating Guilty Pleas, Judge Discloses

The two alleged computer hackers charged with stealing the personal information of about 120,000 Apple iPad owners are negotiating guilty pleas, according to a new court filing.

In a U.S. District Court order, Judge Claire Cecchi reported last week that federal prosecutors and lawyers for defendants Andrew Auernheimer and Daniel Spitler are in the midst of plea negotiations.

Cecchi granted a continuance since the parties “desire additional time to negotiate a plea agreement, which would render any grand jury proceedings and any subsequent trial of this matter unnecessary.”

Auernheimer (left) and Spitler are pictured above in United States Marshals Service booking photos. The men, each free on $50,000 bond, allegedly launched a “brute force” attack on AT&T that yielded confidential data on users of Apple’s tablet.

The FBI’s probe of the duo was aided by a confidential source who provided agents with chat logs that allegedly show Auernheimer and Spitler discussing the iPad hack. If the pair pleads out, the identity of that snitch--likely a fellow hacker--will remain shrouded.