Exercises

Can't hack it

This week's exercise takes a look at a former computer hacker who switched from a life of crime to become a consultant. Read the story from the Bangkok Post to find out about this young computer expert.

A teenage hacker from New Zealand who helped criminals to break into more than a million computers worldwide and steal millions of dollars from bank accounts has been hired as a cyber-security consultant by the country's second-largest telecommunications company.

Owen Walker has skills that can help senior executives and customers understand the security threats to their networks, according to TelstraClear spokesman Chris Mirams.

CHARGES DROPPED

Walker was 18 years old when he pleaded guilty last year to charges relating to his work for an international network that the FBI estimates broke into around 1.3 million computers. The group's illegal activities caused more than 700 million baht worth of damage.

Walker used the online name AKILL and wrote so-called botnet infiltration programmes for computer criminals to use. The charges against Walker were eventually dropped, and he was released without a criminal record after paying a fine and handing over the money the criminal group paid him.

INSIDE INFORMATION

Walker has delivered a series of seminars for the telecommunication company. He has also advised senior security and management staff, and has taken part in an advertising campaign about computer safety.

Chris Mirams explained that Walker tells delegates what cyber criminals are trying to achieve and how to defend their networks against such threats.

"Walker can warn them about the type of cyber threats that are being developed," Mirams said.

CAUSING MAYHEM

Some hackers send mass emails to target corporate or government computer systems in order to overload and crash the systems.

Others take control of thousands of computers and amass them in centrally controlled clusters known as botnets. The hackers then use the computers to steal credit card information, manipulate stock trades and crash industry computer systems.

Exercises

Read the story. Then, answer the following true or false questions.
1. Owen Walker worked for a criminal gang.
2. Some hackers send mass emails to get the attention of corporate or government computer systems.
3. Walker was given an 18-year prison sentence.
4. Walker teaches management staff how to hack into other company's computers.

	consultant (n): a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and is employed to give advice about it to other people threat (n): a person or thing that is likely to cause trouble, danger, etc. delegate (n): a person who is chosen or elected to represent the views of a group of people and vote and make decisions for them cluster (n): a group of things of the same type that grow or appear close together manipulate (v): to control or influence somebody or something, often in a dishonest way so that they do not realise it