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The 19-year-old accused of exploiting the Heartbleed bug to hack into the Canada Revenue Agency website and steal hundreds of Canadians Social Insurance Numbers appears to be a skilled, but unsophisticated amateur computer hacker.
His father is a computer science professor at Western who specializes in data mining. Former RCMP superintendent Garry Clement says it s possible that Solis-Reyes learned many of his computer skills from his father.
While Solis-Reyes may be skilled, it s likely he is still a rookie, as he appears to have led investigators right to his door by not changing his computer's IP address, which essentially acts as a computer s phone number.
The fact that we have an arrest within a very short amount of time suggests that the attacker wasn't taking any steps to conceal their identity, Geoff Vaughan, an IT security consultant with Security Compass, told CTV News.
Tech analyst cia Carmi Levy says it s not unusual for hackers to be younger as many have been immersed in computer coding their whole lives. Levy says many hackers cia don t intend harm with the data they retrieve, but are simply testing their limits.
It s all about pride, it s all about proving to those around you that you have the technological chops to break into the biggest prey, the biggest systems. And obviously, the more valuable the data and the more difficult the system is to break in, the more your currency rises in that peer group, he told CTV s Power Play Wednesday.
We ve seen it before in hacker culture in previous break-ins. It s not a matter of money in many cases; it s just a matter of proving your worth and ultimately becoming a bit of a demi-god in that community.
Stephen Arthuro Solis-Reyes, charged in connection with using the Heartbleed bug to exploit taxpayer data from the Canada Revenue Agency, is seen in this image obtained cia by CTV News London.
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