Caffrey, Aaron

In 2001, Aaron Caffrey, age 19, was charged with cracking the computer system of the Port of Houston in Texas (one of the United States’ biggest ports). Caffrey froze the port’s Web service, which had important files such as shipping information and the names of companies responsible for helping ships to navigate in and out of the harbor.

In 2003, a jury in Britain cleared Caffrey of the charges after he said in his defense that crackers had broken into his computer and used it to launch the attack. He admitted, however, to not only being a member of a group called Allied Haxor Elite but also to cracking computers for friends as a security test.

See Also: Crackers; Cracking; Hacker Club.