UK: Teenager cleared of hacking

BBC News reports that:

A teenager has been cleared of trying to bring one of the US's biggest ports to a standstill by hacking into its computer systems.
Aaron Caffrey, 19, was accused of crashing systems at the port of Houston in Texas.

He had faced one charge at Southwark Crown Court of unauthorised modification of computer material. But he was found not guilty by a jury on Friday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3197446.stm

well, i don't really know him, but he used to hang on my friend's IRC server all the time

Speaking after the verdict, Mr Caffrey said he was "very angry" at the way he was "interpreted" and "treated". During the trial it was claimed Mr Caffrey had perpetrated a complex crime, involving computer hacking, identity theft and fraudulent financial-market trading. Paul Addison prosecuting, told the jury Mr Caffrey hacked into the computer server at the port in order to target a female chatroom user called Bokkie, following an argument. It was said in court they argued over anti-US remarks she had made.

Mr Caffrey, who suffers from a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, was said to be in love with an American girl called Jessica. The court was told he named his computer after her and dedicated his "attack script" to her. The attack saw scheduling computer systems at the port bombarded with thousands of electronic messages on 20 September, 2001. It froze the port's web service, which contained vital data for shipping, mooring companies and support firms responsible for helping ships navigate in and out of the harbour.

An investigation by US authorities traced the computer's internet provider number to a computer at Mr Caffrey's home. But the teenager claimed an unidentified third party had planted the instructions for the attack script on his website without his knowledge. He also criticised the authorities for not uncovering the virus during their investigation. On the final day of the trial, Mr Caffrey admitted being part of a group of hackers called Allied Haxor Elite, but denied he had ever illegally hacked into a computer. The teenager told the court that hackers operated legally, but that people who entered computer systems illegally were known as "crackers". Prosecutor Paul Addison asked him whether if he had seen the film Hackers. Elite is the name given to the best of the group targeting the FBI in the film. The teenager said he had seen the film but denied there was any link to his group. He said: "I have hacked into computers legally for friends to test their server security because they asked me to but never illegally."


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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3197446.stm


What a great story! This could sink the US Navy Fleet any day!