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Owen Walker, the 18-year-old Whitianga resident also known as Akill, was discharged without conviction in the High Court in Hamilton today, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Walker was ordered to pay NZ$9,526 in reparations for damage caused to the University of Pennsylvania and $5,000 in costs, says the report.
Walker pleaded guilty, in the Thames District Court in April, to all charges he was facing under the Crimes Act for his part in attacking the University of Pennsylvania’s computer system and in a global adware scheme.
He pleaded guilty to accessing a computer system with the intention of dishonestly obtaining payment for the installation of adware, accessing a computer system without authorisation, and several other charges related to his role in the attacks.
Walker was due to appear for sentencing in Thames District Court in May, but the matter was referred to the High Court, due to procedural issues.
The only victim loss that the police can quantify is the cost incurred by the University of Pennsylvania. The denial-of-service attack cost the university around $13,000 to mitigate, according to the police summary of facts.
Walker allegedly launched the DoS attack in collaboration with a second offender, Ryan Goldstein, a student at the university. Walker has admitted his association with Goldstein and to gaining access to the university's servers through him. Walker told police that he used the university's server to update his botnet, and that the DoS attack was unintended.
Goldstein pleaded guilty to the charges last month in a US court.
Walker received almost $40,000 in total from adware companies for installing adware using his botnet, according to the police documents. He used the money to buy computer equipment and he also made investments in a business run by his parents. His mother and stepfather knew he was making money out of doing online work but they did not realize he was engaged in illegal activity, says the summary.
The investigation was a joint effort by the New Zealand police and the FBI.
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