AN AUSTRALIAN TEENAGER has swiped 90GB of confidential files from Apple after breaching the Cupertino company’s internal system as hacks Apple data.
The attack prompted an FBI investigation and saw the hacker taken to court. Australian courts were told the schoolboy from Melbourne, who started his activities at the age of 16, developed custom software tools to bypass Apple’s security measures and hide his identity. According to Australian newspaper The Age, the hacking tools and instructions were saved in a folder named ‘hacky hack hack’. Hacking one of the most secretive tech companies in the world is no mean feat, but it was also a bold move given Apple was never going to take such a hack attack lightly. But the teen hacker, who remains unnamed due to his age, breached Cupertino’s mainframe not because he wanted to cause chaos, but because he’s a big fan of apple. At least that’s what the teen’s lawyers are claiming. The boy himself reportedly told police that he ‘dreamed’ of working for Apple, and the lawyer said the teenager is a well-known figure in the hacking community.
Australian teen hacks Apple and steals 90GB of confidential data
The youth allegedly infiltrated Apple’s systems multiple times over the course of a year and, as well as 90GB of files, accessed ‘authorised keys’ –secure authentication tokens used to validate user logins.
Once Apple detected his presence in its networks, the company contacted the FBI. The US agency then contacted its antipodean counterparts, the Australian Federal Police, who searched the defendant’s family home and discovered computer hardware linking him to the attacks.
The defendant’s lawyer said that the reason he broke into Apple’s mainframe was that he was a fan of the company, and the teen himself reportedly told police that he “dreamed” of working for the Cupertino-based tech giant. According to his lawyer, the teen is a well-known figure in the hacking community.
The boy allegedly infiltrated Apple’s systems multiple times over the course of a year, and in addition to 90GB of files, also accessed ‘authorised keys’ – secure authentication tokens which are used to validate user logins.
teen hacks Apple catched
Once Apple detected his presence in their networks, the company contacted the FBI, the court heard. The US agency then contacted their antipodean counterparts, the Australian Federal Police, which searched the defendant’s family home and discovered computer hardware linking him to the attacks.
“Two Apple laptops were seized and the serial numbers matched the serial numbers of the devices which accessed the internal systems,” a prosecutor said. “A mobile phone and hard drive were also seized and the IP address … matched the intrusions into the organisation.”
“The purpose was to connect remotely to the company’s internal systems.”
“Two Apple laptops were seized and the serial numbers matched the serial numbers of the devices that accessed the internal systems,” a prosecutor said. “A mobile phone and hard drive were also seized, and the IP address matched the intrusions into the organisation. The purpose was to connect remotely to the company’s internal systems.” The teen, who supposedly bragged about the attacks on WhatsApp, will likely have been sentenced by the time you read this.