An alleged teenzombie
botnetboss has appeared in a New Zealand
court, charged with breaking into computers worldwide.
Owen Thorn Walker, an 18-year-old computer programmer, has been
charged with two counts of accessing a computer for dishonest
purposes, damaging a computer system, possessing software for
committing crimes, and two counts of accessing a computer system
without permission.
If found guilty, Walker faces a maximum 10-year jail
sentence.
When arrested in November 2007, it was alleged that Walker -
known by his online handle "Akill" - was the boss of a gang that
had infected 1.3 million computers around the world, stealing
banking and credit card information.
"Hackers can use zombie networks of innocent people's computers
to send spam, manipulate stock prices, steal identities and attack
company websites. These botnets are one of the biggest security
problems faced by the internet today, and are a powerful weapon in
the hands of an experienced cybercriminal," said Graham Cluley,
senior technology consultant at web security firm Sophos.
Walker appeared at Thames Magistrate's Court in northern New
Zealand, and was released on bail.