14 DAY TRIAL // A 13-year-old boy from Akiruno City, Tokyo, was taken into custody by authorities on suspicion of developing a computer virus that forcefully shut down computers.
According to Yomiuri-Shimbun (translation provided via Slashdot), the eighth-grader is also accused of running a hacking forum.
“I was interested in hacking and wanted to study hacking, and created the site in August last year,” the young hacker said.
Since the creation or possession of computer viruses is illegal in Japan, the boy’s deeds have been catalogued as a “misconduct/misdemeanor.”
Related to this incident, a 23-year-old construction worker was also arrested by the Kyoto Prefectural Police after he had posted tutorials on the discussion board operated by the 13-year-old.
He is also suspected of storing a piece of malware that deletes files on his home computer.