Owen Thor Walker is a computer hacker

Hacker (computer security)

In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...

 living in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, who was discharged without conviction despite pleading guilty to several charges of 'cybercrime'. In 2008 he admitted to being the ringleader of an international hacking organisation estimated to have caused $26 million worth of damage.

History

Walker was home-schooled from the age of 13, removed from school due to bullying. He received no formal computer training, instead teaching himself programming and encryption. Walker has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome

Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...

.

Arrest

Walker was arrested under sections 248-252 of New Zealand's Crime Act after international investigations by the FBI found him to be involved in an attack on the computer network of the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

. The attack was orchestrated via a botnet

Botnet

A botnet is a collection of compromised computers connected to the Internet. Termed "bots," they are generally used for malicious purposes. When a computer becomes compromised, it becomes a part of a botnet...

 established by Walker, using servers he exploited and rented, the majority of which were located in Malaysia.

Trial

He pleaded guilty to his connection in the crime, was fined for the cost of the damage to the University of Pennsylvania computer and was discharged without conviction, the presiding judge concluded that a conviction would only harm his future.

Employment

In 2008 he was hired by TelstraClear

TelstraClear

TelstraClear is New Zealand's second-largest telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation , with around 400,000 customers....

, the New Zealand subsidiary of Australian telecommunications company Telstra, to work with their security division DMZGlobal

DMZGlobal

DMZGlobal is the specialist security division of TelstraClear and Telstra. DMZGlobal is one of the leading Managed Security Service Providers in the Asia Pacific region and as in 2009 was recently nominated for the 2010 organisational excellence in Information Security as part of the AusCERT...

. As a security consultant, he presented seminars and appeared in advertising. TelstraClear spokesman Chris Mirams said it was not the equivalent of hiring a bank robber to advise on bank security.