• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Techhacker

15-Year-Old Boy Arrested Under Hacking Act

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 19, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
171110589
cyber crime hacker typing on laptopPhotograph by Benjamin Howell — Getty Images

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Scotland over charges that he violated the U.K.’s anti-hacking regulations.

“Following a search of a property in the Glasgow area on Tuesday, February 16, a 15-year-old male was arrested in connection with alleged offenses under the Computer Misuse Act 1990,” a spokesman for Police Scotland told Fortune on Friday. “He has since been released from custody.”

The Computer Misuse Act has three sections, including sentencing guidelines for intentionally obtaining unauthorized access to computers and modifying their settings. It acts as the U.K.’s central hacker-fighting law and can send people to jail for several years depending on the number of charges they face.

While the Police Scotland spokesman declined to provide additional details, Vice Motherboard, a technology news outlet, claims to have spoken with sources who say the boy was a hacker known online as “Cubed.” He was also a member of the hacking group “Crackas With Attitude,” Motherboard is reporting, citing a close friend.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Crackas With Attitude (CWA) has been one of the more active hacking groups targeting the U.S. government. The group in October took responsibility for hacking the personal email account owned by John Brennan, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Soon after, Twitter accounts allegedly owned by the hackers posted screenshots of sensitive U.S. information, including phone call logs and Social Security numbers of several U.S. officials.

“The hacking of the Brennan family account is a crime and the Brennan family is the victim,” CIA spokesman Dean Boyd said in a statement at that time. “The private electronic holdings of the Brennan family were plundered with malicious intent and are now being distributed across the web. This attack is something that could happen to anyone and should be condemned, not promoted.”

While the CIA never confirmed that CWA was behind the attacks, the hacking group didn’t stop there. Indeed, the group has claimed to have hacked other accounts owned by high-ranking officials, including U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. The group may have also been involved in a U.S. Justice Department breach in February, according to Motherboard.

For more, read: Everything You Need to Know About the CIA Director Email Hack

The U.K.’s Daily Record first reported on Thursday that the 15-year-old had been arrested. That report cited sources who said that “the boy is believed to have hacked into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) computer systems.” Those sources also said that the boy was questioned by FBI officials after his arrest earlier this week.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment on whether it was involved in the arrest.

Law enforcement started to dismantle CWA, which was previously known to comprise teenage members, last week when officials in the U.K. and FBI reportedly arrested a 16-year-old who went by the online name “Cracka.” It’s unknown whether that reported arrest led to “Cubed’s” arrest.

For more on the CIA director’s troubles, watch:

After the first arrest, however, the group told Motherboard it would continue in its activities. It’s unknown how many members CWA has or what it may have planned for the future. Law enforcement agencies have also not said if they’re planning more raids and arrests.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Apple CEO Tim Cook in Washington, D.C. on December 10, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Tim Cook’s advice for Apple’s next CEO
By Andrew NuscaMay 1, 2026
34 minutes ago
Newly appointed Apple CEO John Ternus (left) with outgoing CEO Tim Cook in Cupertino, Calif. (Photo courtesy Apple)
PoliticsMarkets
Apple’s new CEO said he will continue the company’s tradition of secrecy—and Wall Street loved it
By Jim EdwardsMay 1, 2026
1 hour ago
Hitting the ‘GenAI wall’: Where generative AI stops working, and what it means for your talent strategy
AILeadership
Hitting the ‘GenAI wall’: Where generative AI stops working, and what it means for your talent strategy
By François Candelon and Iavor BojinovMay 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Evan Spiegel wears a black t-shirt and speaks into a microphone while on stage.
AITech
Snap CEO praises AI for writing two-thirds of the company’s code but warns fellow tech executives underestimate ‘societal pushback’ to the tech
By Sasha RogelbergMay 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Meta wants to spend more even after it lost $80 billion on the Metaverse and over 20 million users
Big TechMeta
Meta wants to spend more even after it lost $80 billion on the Metaverse and over 20 million users
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Tim Cook reveals the advice he gave Apple’s next CEO: The most important decision he’ll make is ‘where he spends his time’
Big TechApple
Tim Cook reveals the advice he gave Apple’s next CEO: The most important decision he’ll make is ‘where he spends his time’
By Alexei OreskovicApril 30, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
4 days ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
17 hours ago
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
Conferences
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
By Nick LichtenbergApril 29, 2026
2 days ago
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
Big Tech
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
By Alexei OreskovicApril 29, 2026
1 day ago
With no end in sight, Trump considers new options in Iran war—including the ‘Dark Eagle’ hypersonic missile
Big Tech
With no end in sight, Trump considers new options in Iran war—including the ‘Dark Eagle’ hypersonic missile
By Jim EdwardsApril 30, 2026
1 day ago
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
AI
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
By Sasha RogelbergApril 28, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.