Teenager cleared of hacking US port network
A teenager charged with crashing one of the largest electronic systems in the US has been found not guilty.
Aaron Caffrey, 19, stood accused of bringing the port of Houston in Texas to a halt by bombarding it with thousands of electronic messages.
He had faced one charge at Southwark Crown Court of unauthorised modification of computer material.
Data containing crucial information on tides, water depths and weather was inaccessible on September 20, 2001 as a result of the incident and ships were placed at considerable risk.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court heard that the attack was intended to take revenge on a female internet chatroom user called Bokkie for insulting Mr Caffrey’s American girlfriend Jessica.
The court heard that Mr Caffrey, who suffers from a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome, was said to be in love with Jessica and had named his computer after her, as well as dedicating his “attack script” to her.
An investigation by US authorities traced the computer’s internet provider number to a computer at Mr Caffrey’s home.
However, Mr Caffrey claimed he had been the victim of an unidentified third party, who had planted the instructions for the attack script on his website without his knowledge.
He admitted being part of a group of hackers called Allied Haxor Elite, but denied he had ever illegally hacked into a computer.
“I have hacked into computers legally for friends to test their server security because they asked me to but never illegally,” the teenager claimed.
Speaking after he was acquitted, Mr Caffrey, from Shaftesbury in Dorset, said he was “very angry” at the way he was treated by the police.
