10 Stories of Teenage Hackers Getting into..
Much like Lolcats, some überteens are up in the Internet, stealing your ... well, whatever they want. If you envision these kids as harmless nerds who hole themselves up in their rooms clicking away their adolescence, check out this list, which details the costly and frightening toll their computer “games” have exacted throughout recent history.
- Student at Downingtown High School West — Downingtown, Pa.
A 15-year-old student was arrested and charged with felonies in May 2008 for stealing personal data from the Downingtown School District's computer system and downloading files that contained the names and Social Security numbers of more than 41,000 of district residents (including 15,000 students). The unnamed student allegedly accessed the files, which were located on the district’s server, through a school computer during a study period, and officials believe that he copied the files to his home computer. This is the second time in the 2007-2008 academic year that a student has broken into the Downingtown School District’s computer system; another student was arrested for hacking into the system in December 2007.
- Matthew the phone phreak — Boston
In February 2008, the FBI identified the culprit in a 2005 Colorado "swatting" incident — a phone hoax involving hackers who call in fake emergencies and get SWAT teams to barrel into people’s homes. The responsible party was a 17-year-old East Boston "phreak," or phone hacker, named Matthew. The remarkable thing about him is that he’s blind. Matthew, who’s been at the game since he was 14, is considered one of the most skilled phreakers alive.
- Jeanson James Ancheta — Los Angeles
In 2005, the FBI nabbed 20-year-old Jeanson James Ancheta, a reported member of....
