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Topic: Security

17 year-old alleged Anonymous member arrested in Australia

Summary: There's something odd about a teenage hacker being charged in children's court.

Charlie Osborne

By for iGeneration |

A teenager who is suspected to be part of hacking collective Anonymous has been apprehended in Australia.

anonymous

The unnamed 17 year-old has been charged with "unauthorised access to computer data," and has appeared in Parramatta Children's Court today over allegations that they have committed "serious offences" on the behalf of hacktivist collective Anonymous.

The Australia's Federal Police (AFP) issued a statement over the matter, saying that a search warrant was issued at the youth's home in Glenmore Park, New South Wales, in November last year.

The AFP says that the teenager has been charged with the following:

  • Six counts of unauthorised modification of data to cause impairment: Maximum penalty of 10 years;
  • One count of unauthorised access with intent to commit a serious offence: Maximum penalty of 10 years;
  • One count of possession of data with intent to commit a computer offence: Maximum penalty of 3 years;
  • Twelve counts of unauthorised access to restricted data: Maximum penalty of 2 years.

The 17 year-old is due to appear in court again on May 17th.

Commander Glen McEwen commented:

"Protesting through computer intrusions and website defacements is not an appropriate method to raise public awareness about any issue. The AFP investigates various types of cybercrime and will continue to take a strong stance against these perpetrators."

As the case is now in the hands of the court, the AFP will not comment further on the charges.

Topics: Security, Legal

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19 comments
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  • Ridiculous Sentencing

    You could probably cripple somebody and get less prison time than this! No wonder people hate the world's justice system.
    Danny Murphy
    Reply 5 Votes

    • I guess then, to you

      it doesn't matter what he did? Should they not be punished? Justice is blind. Sometimes the bad guys get away with it, sometimes the good guys get punished. But if you don't hand down A punishment, what's to stop the rest of the clowns from doing worse. Just curious, do you know what DATA was hacked into-if you do, would that make you hate the justic system?
      Charles_B
      Reply Vote

      • Although I think he should be punished

        I also think a potential 25 year sentence is ridiculous. People have been crippled for less than that.
        CaviarGreen
        Reply 1 Vote

  • * * * WOOOOoooo, IF i were in charge. * * *

    .
    I'd start with his pinky fingernail and ViseGrip it until he gave ALL the names of the other members.
    .
    My PC has been hacked a few times by there IDIOTS. I want a few SHOTS at this kid.
    .
    fm-usa
    Reply 2 Votes

    • lol at your ignorance

      fm-usa ... ugh where to begin.. 1) they are anonymous even to each other he wouldn't have anyones names. 2)these are not the people hacking your pc thats probably viruses you got from sketchy porn sites. 3) Clearly they aren't "IDIOTS" if they hacked your pc and if you were smart enough you would protect yourself.

      gotta love the un-informed public. THANK GOD your not in charge :)
      techniPoet
      Reply 2 Votes

      • Just so you are aware...

        Porn sites are generally malware free. Ironically, the most hacked and dangerous sites to go to are religious sites, (because, unlike porn sites, running the website is not the primary business of the church/org, and they are easier to hack and distribute malware through.) Just sayin'...

        And to the OP, this 17 yo in AU is not the one hacking your computer. That would be organized cyber-criminals, not Anonymous. It is a for-profit business all over the world. I know it is frustrating, but you are not using any common sense.
        michaellashinsky@...
        Reply Vote

    • Jeez, Louise

      You're so clueless, confused and bitter that you could be a US Republican house committee chairman. If your PC was hacked and infected, there is a rather good possibility that the people behind it were mostly if not all real cyber criminals working out of Eastern European or thereabouts, and connected to gangs and corrupt government officials.
      JustCallMeBC
      Reply 2 Votes

    • You're an idiot

      That is all...
      AnonAce
      Reply Vote

  • ok

    dear sir fm-usa
    i am a seo aka grey hat and i can tell ya a world without hackers and crackers is one i wouldnt want to live in they are the reason data can be safe by finding the exploits in servers and web pages without them your personal information is easily available best way to protect yourself is used fake names for like fb dont use real credit cards use visa gift cards or anything of that nature . this makes idenity theft much harder if the infomation is only as good who put it out there obcourse.. and for the love of god clear out your browser cookies so your not prone to session highjacking . information is a market on the internet and i try hard to keep my personal info where it belongs offline.
    jyoungst@...
    Reply 3 Votes

    • Perhaps

      Or simply learn the means of protecting yourself..if that guy was hacked number of times, as he claims to be, and still didn't learn to protect himself, that ought to tell a lot about him as a person...

      Being hacked by Anons...? Don't make me laugh, they don't target one persona, especially not immature sounding revenge kiddo like yourself
      ChristiYan Zikic
      Reply 1 Vote

  • Bummer

    Good luck!
    daves@...
    Reply Vote

  • Poor Kid

    First of all, real hackers don't hack from their home or use a IP that's easily traced. Duh! This kid was probably playing around and so happen to gain access to some supposedly secure data. How they tied this to Anonymous? I have no idea, since he's a amateur hacker they'll just put him with Anonymous.
    cyang00
    Reply 5 Votes

  • The police is trying to look smart

    The Australia's Federal Police are just trying to make themselves look far smarter than they actually are. Claiming to have arrested an anon member when in fact they only caught a clueless kid doesn't help in raising their odds of looking even marginally smart.
    Deep Thinker
    Reply 6 Votes

    • AFP not FBI

      This is in AUSTRALIA not the USA. Our federal agencies don't make wild claims. If they had little or no evidence they would say he had links to the anonymous group or something similar. They are saying he committed serious offences on behalf of anonymous which means they have some kind of evidence (or he boasted on facebook he is part of the group that did).
      clane_
      Reply Vote

  • This is whats wrong with the world today

    Murphy- you took the words out of my mouth. How many politicians guilty of worse and will never see a day in court.
    It is equivalent to a witch hunt, with the final solution being press the poor bastard under some rocks until he admits guilt and reveals his co conspirators - gimme a break

    fm-usa you got owned by a porn virus, stop crying about it. listen just post your email here and I will send you an attachment for some great anti virus software...lmao
    AnthonyElit3
    Reply 1 Vote

  • If he's a minor...

    ...then what's odd about his being charged in Children's Court?
    John L. Ries
    Reply 1 Vote

  • That's a Booting!

    Remember that disparaging the boot is a bootable offense.
    JoeMNJ
    Reply Vote

  • Unjust punishment

    Yes, the kid should be punished. But as others have commented, the punishment pales in comparison to those who injure others. For instance, in the United States, health care providers routinely injure and kill patients without any criminal repercussions. You can argue negligence is not intentional, but a personal can be arrested for negligent vehicular manslaughter. Why the double standard? Because they provide a "public service?" Please.

    The potential penalties for punks like this kid are ridiculous and unreasonable. Financial crimes are punished worse than assault and murder. Makes no sense.
    josephatlaw@...
    Reply 1 Vote

    • yes it does.

      Laws were written centuries ago to protect rich people and their assets. That is why financial crimes have the highest penalties and killing someone with your car is "negligent vehicular homicide" but shooting them is Murder. there is a clear divide between crimes against the poor and crimes against the rich. It is a Legal System by the rich for the rich NOT a Justice System for all.
      Nowhere is this more evident than in America. If i got caught with drugs in the US I would go to jail for months/years. When Lindsey Lohan, Charlie Sheen, etc get caught they get a few days, rehab, community service or a combination of these. In 2007 Lohan got 84 minutes of a one-day sentence after pleading guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence!
      clane_
      Reply Vote
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