Hacker suspect nabbed at Net security show
LONDON (Reuters) -- British police have arrested a man suspected of hacking into high-profile corporate Web sites and defacing them with a distinct digital calling card: a "fluffy" pink bunny rabbit.
New Scotland Yard said on Wednesday they arrested 24-year-old Lynn Htun at a London convention center, the site of InfoSecurity Europe 2003, one of Europe's largest trade fairs for Internet and computer network security.
Law enforcement and Internet security professionals said they believe Htun is the mastermind of the "Fluffi Bunni" hacking exploits, which European and U.S. authorities have been investigating for over a year.
The sources said Fluffi Bunni has been active for more than two years, hacking into sites ranging from those of McDonalds Corp to Internet security specialists SANS Institute and Symantec Corp's virus detection group SecurityFocus.
In a time when Web sites of organizations big and small are hacked on a daily basis, these intrusions stood out. The defaced Web pages often carried a message along the lines "this site is now controlled by Fluffi Bunni" beside the image of a stuffed pink rabbit.
"Fluffi Bunni is one of the most mysterious figures in the hacking panorama. He selects specific targets. His hacks are very effective," said Roberto Preatoni, founder of Zone-H, a firm that monitors and records Internet hack attacks.
Htun, a British citizen, had not been charged late on Wednesday with any computer-related crimes.
Police said he was arrested on Tuesday by officers from the Computer Crime Unit of New Scotland Yard on a warrant for skipping an appearance at Guilford Crown Court, where he was to appear for an unrelated forgery charge.
A law enforcement source said the investigation was continuing as authorities were trying to determine whether Fluffi Bunni was the work of a single person or a group, which could lead to other arrests and determine whether Htun is charged.
The collar was made amid the bustle of a trade show exhibit floor on Tuesday afternoon. The arrest went largely unnoticed by scores of security firms manning booths and demonstrating the latest intrusion detection software and services.
The conference on Wednesday also hosted a presentation by the UK's two-year-old cyber-crime taskforce, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU).
Superintendent Len Hynds, the head of the NHTCU, warned that organized crime gangs are committing cyber-crime with greater regularity. The unit has made 101 arrests for computer-related crimes ranging from fraud to drug trafficking in the past two years, he said.
Source: edition.cnn.com
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