AfterDawn: News

Teenage hacker arrested for hitting 259 websites

A 15-year-old Australian hacker has been arrested this week for allegedly attacking over 250 websites in just three months.

Starting in January, the unnamed suspect began hitting an average of 3 sites every day for 3 months until he was stopped.



The student scanned sites for vulnerabilities and software bugs that he then exploited to gain access.

Australian authorities have charged the youth with unlawful access to a computer system.

Outside of leaking stolen info, the student also defaced company websites and bragged of his use of anonymizing software to evade detection. The suspect's luck ran out when the software failed him and police tracked his IP address.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Apr 2012 14:00

• Previous article

• Vudu looking to expand internationally?

• Next article

• HTC says bye bye to QWERTY keypads on phones

• 14 comments

• bigdan45

  Sucks for him. Dumbass.
  

  20.4.2012 14:18 #1

• LordRuss

  Age & experience beats youth & exuberance every time...
  
  Well... almost. There's still the useless Wile E. Coyote of adults out there with equally useless existences who think this kind of behavior is somehow going to get them a trophy.
  
  But basically the euphemism still stands. Hope he likes big d*ked cons with a hankering for tight assed little boys for the rest of his trip down puberty lane, cause that may be what he gets for his little shenanigans.
  
  Should have stuck to the porn sites like the rest of us. Dirty & shameful & no need to brag about it.
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  20.4.2012 16:29 #2

• WierdName

  Quote:Australian authorities have been charged with unlawful access to a computer system. Eh? They charged him or is there more to the story?
  

  Doesnt expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected and therefore mean youre expecting the expected which was the unexpected until you expected it?
  "Opinions are immunities to being told were wrong." - Relient K

  20.4.2012 18:25 #3

• scorpNZ

  He's 15 & most likely won't be charged as an adult,a slap with a wet bus ticket is what he'll most probably get & a job at some large security company as a consultant
  

  AD Guides: http://www.afterdawn.com guides/
  Console Mod Tuts: http://www.elitemodscene.com/
  
  

  20.4.2012 18:41 #4

• sonlt13

  ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  20.4.2012 23:58 #5

• xtago

  Originally posted by scorpNZ: He's 15 & most likely won't be charged as an adult,a slap with a wet bus ticket is what he'll most probably get & a job at some large security company as a consultant He won't be charged as an adult as he's under 18.
  
  If he goes to jail it won't be jail but a juvi center so pretty easy stuff and probably do some community service as well.
  
  As for fines etc hard to say.

  21.4.2012 03:46 #6

• jeff_2

  Clearly he just needed a new hobby
  

  Due to copyright issues I am sorry to say I am no longer Batman : (

  21.4.2012 08:00 #7

• nbfreak2

  Silly kids trix are for rabbits dont you know.....
  

  21.4.2012 08:45 #8

• cyprusrom

  It is an interesting way of sending out a résumé and getting noticed for your skill, without any prior job experience. If I had the skill, I'd do it. he's got a bright future ahead of him...As far as we know he could be working for the police in the next few months...

  21.4.2012 10:56 #9

• LordRuss

  Originally posted by cyprusrom: [H]e's got a bright future ahead of him...As far as we know he could be working for the police in the next few months... That's one way of looking at it I suppose... Hindsight being 20/20 is that he tripped over his dick.
  
  If it was using software that he developed or modified from others, sure, there's a possibility that he still has a future after this mess blows over & this crap gets expunged from his juvenile record.
  
  Another possibility is that he gets a court order so grossly out of whack demanding that he have nothing to do with computer technology that it takes him out of the loop enough to make his knowledge useless or savagely behind in what will be current advancements to be of marketable use.
  
  A similar song like that of the guy that broke into Facebook trying to sell them security parameters by exploiting their weaknesses. That blew up in his face too.
  
  I'm not taking a damning your idea, trust me. You have to take the high risk to get the high payoff. But the megalomaniacs will most assuredly inhale your ass rather than brush it away as an annoyance as they see you as an example to the rest of the gnats that may come floating around.
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  21.4.2012 13:14 #10

• borhan9

  Everything sound cool until the fact he made a newbie mistake ip address exposed :P LOL I gather he not going to be bragging anymore for awhile :P
  

  Edited by DVDBack23
  
  
  "the mediocre teacher tells. the good teacher explains. the superior teacher demonstrates. the great teacher inspires."- William Aruthur Ward

  21.4.2012 22:33 #11

• cyprusrom

  Originally posted by LordRuss: ...
  
  I'm not taking a damning your idea, trust me. You have to take the high risk to get the high payoff. But the megalomaniacs will most assuredly inhale your ass rather than brush it away as an annoyance as they see you as an example to the rest of the gnats that may come floating around. In hindsight, your idea sounds actually better. I was probably, high on the fumes from the catnip that my tomcat was smoking, hence overly optimistic:)!
  I guess I was thinking from my own perspective, what I would do as an employer, if I came across some talent.

  21.4.2012 22:56 #12

• blueboy09

  Why doesnt somebody hire him in some security firm somewhere? Kids these days are getting smarter and more sophisticated these days, so instead of punishing them, which in my opinion, want do a damn thing since he seems like to rebel on anything, use his talents to find these other guys and exploit them as well. Fight fire with fire I always say.
  

  Chance prepares the favored mind. Look up once in a while and you might learn something. - BLUEBOY

  22.4.2012 10:18 #13

• Mez

  Originally posted by borhan9: Everything sound cool until the fact he made a newbie mistake ip address exposed :P LOL I gather he not going to be bragging anymore for awhile :P As I read the article, he was protecting his IP address very well 249 web sites didn't get his IP address. He just went to a site where the security software broke through his protection. All it takes is one screw up!
  
  To quote an old member varnul, no protection can be perfect since the information does need to get back to your IP address to be useful.

  4.5.2012 09:43 #14