18-year-old star hacker arrested in Greece

ATHENS – Police in Greece have arrested an 18-year-old star hacker suspected of breaking into the website of crime-fighting agency Interpol, and a number of US state agencies, a senior officer said on Wednesday.

The unidentified teen, who reportedly lives with his mother in the working-class Athens district of Agios Dimitrios, had originally broken into the Interpol site when he was just 15 years old.

“He has carried out such strikes all over the world from his home,” the head of Greece’s cybercrime squad Manolis Sfakianakis, told state television NET.

“Interpol is the basic one, and government sites in the US. He acted alone, though he has worked with others before,” Sfakianakis said.

Greek reports said the unidentified teenager had also gained illegal access to the sites of the National Security Agency, the FBI and the Pentagon in 2009.

Sfakianakis said the young hacker, who used the alias ‘nsplitter’, also pilfered credit card and e-banking data through toolbars downloaded by unwary users, and made dummy cards for apparent cash withdrawals.

“He had 130 blank cards where he placed whatever data he wanted. Five of them he had filled with details of people that had no idea what was going on,” the officer said.

Reports said he had also invested in nearly 50 companies listed on the Athens stock exchange.

Police who searched the hacker’s home on Tuesday found nearly 8,000 euros ($11,700) and $300 in cash, laptops, external drives. and a router.

They also found a makeshift explosive device containing gunpowder, but Sfakianakis said the suspect has not been linked to extremist activity.

The suspect, who will testify on Thursday, faces at least five years in prison if convicted, the officer said.