FBI has it wrong, says young hacker suspect

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=268466359&text_only=0&slug=hacker11m&document_id=134259438

by John de Leon
Seattle Times assistant metro editor
Thursday, January 11, 2001, 12:00 a.m. Pacific

LYNNWOOD - He sounds more like a bright, computer-savvy 16-year-old
than a key figure in an international plot to wreak havoc on the
Internet.

The FBI says he's both.

The Lynnwood teenager now finds himself in the middle of an FBI
investigation into an alleged plan to tap into computer systems and
bring them down. He has been accused of helping create a "malicious
program" called "Godswrath" used in so-called distributed denial of
service (DDOS) attacks on computer systems throughout the U.S.

Court documents filed by the FBI claim the youth and others attacked
the servers of DALNet, an Internet-chat relay service, disabling
computers and denying access to the service. The ultimate goal was to
"take down the Internet" on New Year's Eve, according to the FBI.

The youth admits creating the Godswrath site, but claims the FBI's
assessment of its capabilities and his involvement are overblown.

"I knew about the DALNet case, but I never once performed a DDOS on
DALNet," the teen said.

As part of the investigation, several FBI agents armed with a search
warrant raided the teen's home Dec. 22, seizing all of his computer
equipment except for a handful of items. Despite efforts by his mother
and her boyfriend, they have been unable to learn whether charges may
be forthcoming.

"I'm scared," the teen said yesterday. "I just keep throwing up and
stuff."

The youth admits he knows the other people the FBI is investigating,
but only through online chats.

According to court documents, others being investigated are from
California, Michigan and Israel.

The youth said he created Godswrath as a so-called "Trojan," a program
that when opened would give the sender access to the unsuspecting
victim's computer. He claims he got tired of working on the site and
abruptly stopped about two months ago, but never took it down.

The site, however, apparently included language claiming it would
create chaos on New Year's Eve, which the teen chalks up to youthful
bravado, not an overt threat. "I was just blowing off steam," he said.

The boyfriend of the youth's mother, who asked that his name not be
used, said the FBI has blown out of proportion the teen's attempt at
hacking. Making matters worse is not knowing whether the teen will be
arrested or charged, he said.

What little information they do have has been learned through the
media and court documents.

"He hasn't been able to eat or sleep," he said. "He's scared to
death."

A spokesman for the FBI's Los Angeles office, which is leading the
investigation, said he could not comment on the case. However, a
statement will be released today or tomorrow, said Special Agent Matt
McLaughlin.

He said the investigation was continuing and that the FBI was working
with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

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