In brief Two New York State teenagers have been charged with computer hacking and attempted extortion following allegations they attempted to mount an internet shake-down targeting MySpace.com, the social networking website.

Shaun Harrison, 18, and Saverio Mondelli, 19, allegedly hacked into the site to steal the personal information of MySpace users before threatening to share the secrets of how they broke into the site unless MySpace.com paid them $150,000.

Harrison and Mondelli thought they were in line for a big payday last Friday. Instead, they were arrested in Los Angeles by undercover detectives, posing as MySpace staff, the AP reports.

The duo now faces up to four years imprisonment if convicted. The pair were released on bail of $35,000 on Tuesday pending a preliminary hearing on the case, scheduled for 5 June. ®

Related stories

• Grey hat hair hacker suspect charged in Maserati extortion case (23 September 2008)
• MySpace celebrity hacker downs hacking forum (7 December 2007)
• Grifters find rich pickings on social networking sites (17 May 2007)
• MySpace hackers avoid extortion rap (27 February 2007)
• Wired editor smokes out MySpace pedo (16 October 2006)
• MySpace phishing scam targets music fans (14 October 2006)
• Social networking site fined for gathering children's data (11 September 2006)
• Social sites a breeding ground for malware: report (10 August 2006)
• MySpace adware attack hits hard (21 July 2006)
• Crime agency asks kids to explain social networking (5 July 2006)
• Comment MySpace, a place without MyParents (3 July 2006)
• Interview Chat sites must take care of their kids (29 June 2006)
• Opinion MySpace case opens security can of worms (28 June 2006)
• Hacking students will need background checks (19 June 2006)
• MySpace to auction off its search (14 June 2006)
• Billy Bragg prompts Myspace rethink (8 June 2006)
• Man accused of crashing UBS servers (8 June 2006)
• Phishers aim to hook MySpace users (5 June 2006)
• Interactive TV to capture MySpace generation (25 May 2006)
• Six startups from the Web 2.0 swamp (24 May 2006)
• Murdoch wants teenagers'... (3 May 2006)
• MySpace takes down rude profiles (3 April 2006)
• Police find rape suspects on MySpace (27 March 2006)
• Letters Web 2.0: you're not even slightly whelmed (19 October 2005)