Logging companies in Brazil have been using hackers to get around limits on the amount of timber they can cut from the Amazon rainforest, reports BBC News.

To control logging, the state of Para requires permits to transport timber and uses an online system to monitor companies' quotas. According to a Greenpeace report, though, 107 logging and charcoal companies have hacked into the system to increase their allotment for certain areas of the forest.

That has resulted in the illegal logging of nearly 1.7 million cubic meters of wood, reports Gizmodo. In an attempt to crack down on the practice, Brazil is suing those 107 companies for $US 833 million. Also, 202 people are being prosecuted, including 30 "ringleaders" who allegedly helped the logging companies find the hackers.