Hacker mastermind suspect held

A suspected hacker mastermind has been arrested in a joint operation by Scotland Yard computer experts and the FBI, it was disclosed today.

The 21-year-old man was held at his home in Surbiton, Surrey on suspicion of writing and distributing what experts described as a “set of skeleton keys” for getting into company computer systems.

Computer equipment was seized from his home and is being analysed by officers from Scotland Yard’s computer crime unit.

He was arrested on Tuesday under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and has been bailed pending further inquiries until next month.

The man is suspected of being involved with the “T0RN route kit” which teaches hackers how to get into systems.

It uses “trojan horse” methods, one of the three main kinds of computer security threat faced by companies across the world.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at corporate security experts Sophos Anti-Virus, said the T0RN route kit provided both the tools and the information on how to use them for hackers.

“It’s a collection of tools which can then be used by hackers to get in,” he said.

“It’s a bit like having skeleton keys which let you into everybody’s house.

“It creates a back door and once that has been opened hackers can get in and steal information.”