Co Down teenager accused of creating computer virus which caused global havoc

The Co Down teenager was accused of using a DDoS attack to crash a server hosting the KSI and Logan Paul boxing fight

A North Down teenager was charged on Thursday with creating a computer virus that “crashed hundreds of financial institutions” across the world.

Although he did not appear at Newtownards Magistrates Court, 18-year-old Josh Maunder was charged with 21 offences.

Maunder, from Abbey Park, Bangor is accused of having a computer program intending to use it to commit an offence.

He is also charged with having articles for fraud including one count of having email addresses and passwords relating to PayPal accounts in the UK, USA, Germany and China.

The teenager is also alleged to have had “credit card details contained in a file”.

All of the offences are alleged to have been committed between 1 December 2017 and 13 September 2018.

The facts surrounding the allegations were not opened in court but instead revealed in an application for a certificate of exceptionality from Legal Aid.

Defence counsel Conor Holmes told the court the Crown case is that Maunder “created a computer virus, sends it across the world and crashes hundreds of financial institutions".

Looking at the particulars of the offences, it is alleged that when Maunder was 14 to 15-years-old, he made a “Distributed Denial of Service attack”(DDoS) which he sent to multiple websites and servers including:

  • the Nationwide Building Society

  • Nuclear Fall Out servers

  • Police.UK

  • Policie.CZ (police force in the Czech Republic)

  • The server hosting the boxing match between rapper KSI and YouTube star Logan Paul

The case had been scheduled to be elevated to the Crown Court on Thursday but following an application by Mr Holmes, District Judge Mark Hamill adjourned the case to 18 August.

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