An Irish hacker, who gained notoriety for his involvement in cyberattacks at the age of 13, has recently been released from court with a suspended sentence. Aaron Sterritt, now 24 years old, hailing from Brookfield Gardens in Ahoghill, managed to avoid a 26-month jail term when the Antrim Crown Court decided to suspend his sentence for three years.
The charges against Aaron stemmed from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that took place between December 2, 2016, and December 21, 2016. As a member of the “starpatrol” hacking gang, Aaron, using aliases such as ‘Victor’ and ‘Vamp,’ targeted a range of multinational companies including Flowplay Incorporated, Microsoft Corporation (Xbox Live), Ottawa Catholic School Board, Rockstar Games Incorporated, and Tumblr Incorporated.
The initial target of the gang was Flowplay Inc., a company with 75 million online gamers worldwide in 2016. The DDoS attack by the “starpatrol” group caused their servers to become unresponsive during the assault, resulting in customers being unable to access their accounts or play online. Flowplay had to issue refunds for purchases and subscription fees, in addition to spending a substantial amount of money to migrate their services to a new server.
Similar attacks were carried out on Microsoft’s Xbox Live and Rockstar Games during the same period. The offenses relating to the Ottawa Catholic School Board involved multiple DDoS attacks between 2015 and 2016.
Despite the severity of the charges, Justice Roseanne McCormick decided to suspend Aaron’s sentence, warning him that any future criminal activity would result in imprisonment. The court noted in a pre-sentencing report that Aaron had been diagnosed with ADHD, required assessment for autism as a child, and faced challenges at home. However, the court also acknowledged that Aaron had completed a cyber-awareness program and was deemed low-risk to reoffend.
The police investigations revealed the extent of the cyberattacks in 2016, with Detective Chief Inspector Paul Woods highlighting Aaron’s role in creating malicious software for global network attacks and Ethereum cryptocurrency mining work. The National Cyber Crime Unit emphasized the serious repercussions of DDoS attacks, emphasizing that even a basic level of technical knowledge is enough to conduct such attacks.
In conclusion, Aaron’s journey from a teenage hacker to a reformed computer expert showcases the potential for rehabilitation and growth. While his actions had significant consequences, the court’s decision to suspend his sentence reflects a belief in his ability to turn his life around and contribute positively to society.