Sheffield hacker loses love and friends

"The man has been bailed and we're currently carrying out forensic investigations on his computer," said Detective Sergeant Clive Blake of the Metropolitan Police Computer Crime Unit (CCU), which carried out the arrest. "He'll be back [in court] in July, but the investigation is still ongoing."

The CCU also revealed intelligence suggesting the suspect was involved in virus writing, specifically the Mirsa.A and Mirsa.B viruses. A CCU press release said the suspicions were confirmed on arrest.

The Mirsa worms spread in January, offering a message of support for the "Fathers 4 Justice" campaign.

Reports from January also linked the virus to Sheffield due to hidden message that said "Sheffield Hallam University is corrupt."

"Crime fighters had a strong lead to pursue when it was realised that the worm included a hidden reference to Sheffield," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at anti-virus company Sophos. "It's possible, however, that ultimately the investigation into a hacked dating website resulted in the identification of a suspected virus writer."

The news arrives after weeks of hacking exploits lined to various educational establishments. Last week SC reported the University of California in San Francisco had alerted 7,000 employees and students that their personal information may have been accessed by a hacker.

www.loveandfriends.com
www.met.police.uk
www.sophos.com