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September 6, 2008 2:45:04 AM CDT

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Teen Nabbed for $26M 'Net Heist

Posted Dec 1, 07 5:39 PM CST in World,  Technology 

(Newser) – The computer ace behind a $26 million worldwide identity theft heist is only 18, police said today, after nabbing New Zealander Owen Whyte. The teen allegedly wrote a ‘spybot’ program which stole financial data from more than a million computers. Police called him “one of the most skilled people in the world [at writing] this sort of malicious software.”

Cops referred to the suspect by his hacker handle “AKILL” because he committed alleged crimes as a minor, but the Herald reports that Whyte already worked as a computer programmer, winning rave reviews, until the probe got him fired. He is currently cooperating with police, but faces 10 years if convicted.

Sources: New Zealand Herald, Guardian (UK), Daily Telegraph (UK)

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FBI  • Secret Service  • cybercrime  • University of Pennsylvania  • hacking


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