Gene`s BMX News

[BMX-News]

*** Teenager Arrested Over Computer Crimes ***



Wellington, New Zealand -- 12/01/2007
A New Zealand teenager has been arrested for his alleged role
in a worldwide cyber-crime ring that infected at least 1.3 million
computers and cost victims an estimated 20 million US dollars,
police said Friday.

The 18-year-old suspect, whose online name was "AKILL",
began committing the alleged crimes while still at school,
said Maarten Kleinjtes, manager of the New Zealand police
electronic crime laboratory.

The teenager, from the North Island city of Hamilton, designed a unique
encrypted virus that was undetectable by anti-virus software, Hamilton
police claim.

"This programme was viewed by the FBI as being very sophisticated
malware," said Detective Inspector Peter Devoy, referring to the
collective name for computer viruses.

Access to user names and passwords, as well as credit card details,
was also made possible by the software, which was used by other
criminals to commit crimes, Kleinjtes said.

New Zealand police have been working with the FBI in the
United States as well as Dutch authorities to uncover the network.

The investigation started after an attack involving 50,000 computers
crashed the server at the University of Pennsylvania in the United
States last year.

Police said no charges have yet been laid against the
teenager, who was cooperating with the investigation.

He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of computer crimes.