Hacker crew that attacked NASA websites arrested in Chile

Known as the "Byond" team or the "Byond Hackers Crew," the men are accused of hacking into more than 8,000 websites - including that of NASA - according to press reports from the BBC and other media.

Reports in August said the group attacked NASA websites with a SQL injection technique that allowed them to gain entry and copy user names, passwords and emails from NASA's server.

The group also attempted to access websites of the Chilean finance ministry and the University of California at Berkeley, according to reports, as well as websites in Venezuela, Turkey and Israel.

Chilean police, who arrested the men in Santiago, the nation's capital, and surrounding cities, captured the men in three simultaneous raids. Police there had worked in coordination with Interpol and authorities in the United States, Israel, and other Latin American countries in an eight-month probe.

One of the arrested - alleged to be one of the world's most dangerous hackers -used the alias "Net Toxic." Another is known as "SSH-2," while the other two men who were detained are under 18 years old, according to authorities.

Authorities said the hackers were not financially motivated in carrying out the attacks.

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