Fergie's Tech Blog

Twitter Teen Hacker Hired by Web App Developer

Gregg Keizer writes on ComputerWorld:

An Oregon-based Web application developer today confirmed he has hired the teenager who admitted attacking Twitter with several different worms last weekend.

Travis Rowland, of Hammond Ore. said that he had offered a job to Michael "Mikeyy" Mooney, a 17-year-old who said last week he had written at least two of the worms that struck Twitter starting on April 11.

In a telephone interview on Friday, Rowland, the CEO of exqSoft Solutions, described his company as doing "custom Web application development, primarily geared toward businesses."

Mooney came to his attention because of the Twitter worms, Rowland acknowledged. "I contacted him and saw his Web site, and thought it was interesting," said Rowland. "Then I talked to him and found out he did it all by hand, so I asked him if he wanted to work as a programmer."

Rowland said that Mooney would also be involved doing "security analysis for us, to make sure our applications are as secure as they can be."

posted by Fergie @ 4/17/2009 12:55:00 PM