Youth jailed over global computer hacking business
A young man has been jailed for two years for setting up an online computer hacking business which caused chaos all over the world.
Adam Mudd was just 16 when he created his Titanium Stresser programme, which was used to carry out more than 1.7 million attacks on websites including Minecraft, Xbox Live, and gamers' communications tool TeamSpeak.
He raked in more than £386,000 worth of US dollars and Bitcoins from selling the programme to cyber criminals across the world.
Mudd admitted his money-making scheme and was sentenced at the Old Bailey by Judge Michael Topolski QC.
The judge noted that Mudd came from a "perfectly respectable and caring family" but the effect of his crimes caused damage "from Greenland to New Zealand from Russia to Chile".
He said the sentence must have a "real element of deterrent" and refused to suspend the jail term.
"I'm entirely satisfied that you knew full well and understood completely this was not a game for fun," he told Mudd.
"It was a serious money-making business and your software was doing exactly what you created it to do".
