Forwarded From: William Knowles <erehwont_private> SHANGHAI (Reuters) [9.14.98] China has arrested its first suspected computer hacker under a new criminal law, a Shanghai newspaper said on Monday. A 22-year-old university mathematics student who was identified only by his surname Yang was arrested recently after he broke into a Shanghai computer network, the Liberation Daily said. ``The computer hacker had the ability to delete, modify, insert or disrupt the information or even paralyse the network,'' the newspaper said without naming the network. It said Yang had logged more than 2,000 free hours on the system and had discovered the passwords of more than 500 users. An official at Shanghai Online, a network operated by the local telecommunications authority, confirmed that it had been penetrated by the student, though he said there was no impact on the system itself. ``The individual illegally gained access to some parts of the network but there was no impact on the system itself,'' he said. Shanghai Online offers information on stocks, general economics and medical issues as well as other data. China has seen rapid growth in the sales of computers andcomputer software in recent years. Last year it enacted a new criminal law that for the first time made it illegal to break into computer systems and set a maximum five-year jail term for a conviction. The suspect was believed to have broken into the system out of curiosity, a desire to improve his computer skills and to obtain free computer services, the newspaper said. Police had no comment on the case. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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