Owen Thor Walker admitted writing malicious code that was used to
access computers without authorization.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis center, have reacted to
news that a teenage hacker in New Zealand, who made headlines
around the world at the time of his arrest, has escaped jail and
may assist the police in finding other cybercriminals.
Owen Thor Walker, pleaded guilty earlier this
year to six charges that between January 30, 2006 and November
28, 2007 he accessed computers for dishonest purposes and without
authorization, damaged computer systems, and possessed software for
the purposes of committing a computer crime.
Although the 18-year-old had pleaded guilty to the offences,
Hamilton High Court in New Zealand discharged his case without
conviction, meaning his record will not include a criminal
offense.
Walker, who went by the online handle "AKILL" and was arrested
in November 2007, had been accused of playing a key role in a gang
that infected 1.3 million computers around the world, installing
revenue-generating adware and stealing information worth US $20
million. At the time of his arrest he was dubbed the "botnet king"
by media around the world.
However, the court heard evidence that Walker was in fact
employed by the gang to write malware that then stole bank account
information.
The court was told that police were interested in using Walker's
skills to help them fight internet crime, although no formal offer
has yet been made. Judge Judith Potter ordered Walker to pay more
than US $11,000 in fines, including over $7,000 to the University
of Pennsylvania who suffered damage to their computer network.
Walker, who is said to have been paid approximately US $30,000 by
the gang, also had his computer equipment seized.
Sophos experts note that virus writers have assisted the police
in the past with their investigations.
"It wouldn't be the first time that a hacker has helped the
police catch other internet criminals. For instance, David L Smith,
the author of the Melissa virus, assisted the
authorities in capturing the creator of the Anna Kournikova
worm and Welsh virus writer Simon Vallor," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Clearly, as Owen was working
with an organized criminal gang he may have information that could
lead to successful convictions in the future."
Sophos reminds hackers, however, that David L Smith, did serve
prison time in a federal jail for his crimes.
"It's important that other hackers do not take this New Zealand
judgment as a green light to continue their activities - with the
hope that if caught they will be able to jump to the aid of a
grateful police force," continued Cluley. "Computer crime has
become more serious in recent years, as the culprits turn from
mischief to money as their motive. Courts worldwide are becoming
less lenient to those they find are supporting cybercrime
gangs."
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can control network access and defend
against the threats of spam, hackers, spyware and viruses.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.