Teen hacks 30,000 PCs
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Jun 24, 2010 - Straits Times
Teen hacks 30,000 PCs
By Khushwant Singh, Court Reporter
WHILE studying for his O levels in 2005, Ng Han Xian hacked into as many as 30,000 computers to circulate advertisements and earned US$35,000 (S$48,700).
He was jailed two months on Thursday to obtaining illegal access to the programs and data in the computers.
Ng, now 21, pleaded guilty earlier this month. A district court heard that the teen had fled to China in November 2007 and was arrested on his return in January this year.
Investigators discovered that he was hosting a botnet - a term comprising parts of 'robot' and 'network'. It refers to a group of computers, known as bots or zombies that have been infected with a program that allows unauthorised access by the hacker.
In August 2005, he also signed up as an affiliate of Zangocash and Gammacash. These are adware companies that earn money by directing Internet traffic to online advertisements.
For every adware software Ng surreptitiously installed to allow advertisements to pop up and every website visited by computers in his botnet, Ng received a fee from the adware firms. By September 2005, he told police he had received close to US$35,000.
Although a fine could be imposed for the offence, District Judge Roy Neighbour said that in this case 'the threshold for a custodial sentence had been breached'. Ng could have been jailed for up to two years as well as fined up to $5,000.
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and some companies will recruit him..
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Originally posted by stellazio:
and some companies will recruit him..
He didn't technically hack the computers. He could have got the code off somewhere and spreaded it.
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Originally posted by ditzy:
He didn't technically hack the computers. He could have got the code off somewhere and spreaded it.
ya lor...he only hosted the bots....nothing fantastic technically....but still illegal lar...
well...for profit and.....err.....more profits...
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young and mecenary.
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Nononono, young, and entreprenuer.
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He didn't hacked mine =P
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Wow 2 months for 35k Hmmm...
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He "fled to China in November 2007 and was arrested on his return in January this year."
How he managed to survive in China?
He has relatives there?
I presume he got caught because he skipped NS?
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Originally posted by charlize:
He "fled to China in November 2007 and was arrested on his return in January this year."
How he managed to survive in China?
He has relatives there?
I presume he got caught because he skipped NS?
He actually missed it?
I dont think he got caught per se....He came back to be arrested.
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Did he need to pay back the US$35 000?
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clever
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Originally posted by Chester_Lim:
Did he need to pay back the US$35 000?
state your reasons for you're implying that he is required to pay back the amount that he had earned
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Originally posted by dangerboi:
state your reasons for you're implying that he is required to pay back the amount that he had earned
If he don't need to pay back the money, than how is the country going to get the money to pay the high salaries of our ministers?
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Originally posted by Chester_Lim:
If he don't need to pay back the money, than how is the country going to get the money to pay the high salaries of our ministers?
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Wah nice but a bit dumb cos he got caught by cops. Hosting a program/bot still require vast knowledge in programming.
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Originally posted by Xcert:
He actually missed it?
I dont think he got caught per se....He came back to be arrested.
should continue the job in china ma.
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come back for what .. another talent wasted :lol: