I did it to show off, says hacker

Speaking exclusively to The Register's Tim Richardson, the man behind last weekend's attack on CurrantBun.Com explains why he did it and what he hoped to achieve. But with the threat of criminal charges hanging over him, David Habanec must be asking himself if it was all worth it. The teenager who claims to have hacked into the CurrantBun.Com Web site at the weekend before stealing the personal details of 50 people has spoken exclusively to The Register about why he did it. David Habanec -- an 18-year-old telecomms worker from London -- said he "wanted to make a name for himself". "I came across the loophole by chance," he said. "I wanted to prove a point. I admit it, I wanted to show off. I wanted to make it look as if I was some clever boffin," he told The register this morning. He admitted that he had a run-in with the Cheshire-base ISP Telinco that prompted him to close his account. This altercation was, Habanec said, partly to blame for his attack on CurrantBun.Com, owned by The Sun and hosted by Telinco. Telinco warned Habanec to stop misusing newsgroups after the ISP received hundreds of complaints from users about Habanec. This prompted the telecomms worker to leave Telinco before he was booted out. Since then, it appears he has harboured a grudge against Telinco. But he stressed that revenge was not the main reason behind his actions. Although Habanec understands the seriousness of what he has done there is little sign of any remorse. He spoke to The Register this morning as he was on his way to work. Sitting on a bus somewhere in London on a wet grey day, Habanec seemed almost unruffled by the whole affair. He accepts that he's in trouble and is aware that he may face prosecution under the Computer Misuse Act. But in Habanec's eyes he's achieved what he set out to do. He wanted people to sit up and take notice of him... and they have. The question now facing Habanec is, was it worth the price he may now have to pay? ®