A hacker who infected over 2,300 computers with a virus capable of stealing banking details did not have serious criminal intentions, a court has heard.
Today, lawyers for Anthony Scott Harrison argued that his "youthful curiosity" led him to hack into other people's computers to steal money. Harrison's lawyer, John Edwards, explained, "Using the Google search engine, he learned all he could about hacking."
"He did not start hacking with serious criminal intentions. Because he was unemployed, he then used his hacking skills to provide money," Edwards continued. "Underlying his initial attraction to hacking was not theft or greed, but youthful curiosity."
Harrison, 21, of Blackforest, pleaded guilty to one count of modifying computer data to cause harm or inconvenience, two counts of possession or control of data to commit serious computer offenses, and one count of dishonestly manipulating a machine.
The court heard that State and Federal police took four months to investigate the charges, which were the first of their kind to reach sentencing in the District Court.
Mr. Edwards stated that Harrison had become immersed in the cyber-fantasy world and "naively" began experimenting with hacking. He used someone else's bank details to buy a Coles voucher and transferred money into his own account.
"There’s a difference between what Harrison had the capacity to do and what he actually did in terms of direct theft and benefiting himself," Edwards said. "This was never going to be a large-scale criminal enterprise involving him stealing large amounts of money."
The court heard that Harrison was no longer using computers. Tracey Nelson, prosecuting, said Harrison had infected 2,370 computers and could have infected numerous others. "It was more a case of what could have been the potential had this gone undetected," she said. "Had this gone any further, it could have been quite devastating."
Ms. Nelson emphasized the need to deter others from hacking, stating, "Any of us could become victims of this type of offending very easily."
Harrison will be sentenced next month.
