Isles teenager admits serious hacking charges

A teenager raised in Shetland has admitted hacking into the websites of major organisations in the UK and United States, such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the CIA.

Jake Davis, 19, and co-accused Ryan Cleary, 20, also targeted the NHS, News International, Sony, Nintendo, the Arizona State Police and the 20th Century Fox film studio among others in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, where websites crash after being deluged with traffic.

However at Southwark Crown Court in London today the pair denied charges that they posted unlawfully obtained, confidential computer data to websites such as that of LulzSec – a hackers’ group of which they were members and which has been linked to cyber attacks on government agencies and multi-national companies – Pirate Bay and PasteBin.

Davis, who grew up in Yell but is now bailed to an address in Spalding, Lincolnshire, used the online nickname “Topiary”. He was arrested at his chalet in Hoofields, Lerwick, last July by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s e-crime unit.

The Director of Public Prosecutions is to decide whether Davis and Cleary should face trial. The case has been adjourned until 12th July.

In March this year Davis was charged by the FBI with hacking a string of major businesses and government agencies in the United States.