Spain arrests web code-cracker

2005-06-22 14:23

Madrid - Spanish police said on Wednesday they had arrested "P Power", one of the most renowned code-crackers on the internet, following a nine-month inquiry.

Armed with a simple modem connection to the worldwide web, a decrepit computer and standard software "P Power" broke security codes and hacked his way into costly professional computer programmes, the interior ministry said.

Spanish authorities have not released the identity of "P Power," known only by his internet pseudonym, but they did say he was a 26-year-old engineer.

After meticulously disassembling programmes, analysing their weak points and then stripping them of their protection, the hacker broadcast messages to the internet saying that he was the unique code-cracker and was sending out the codes for free, according to the interior ministry.

The ministry added it was impossible to put a price on the damage caused to firms using the programmes pirated or how many internet users had downloaded the codes for free.

Unlike code "crackers," web "hackers" break into protected programmes of organisations such as Nasa, banks or the FBI.

- AFP