Teen Apple hacker avoids jail in Australia

AN Australian teenager who hacked Apple Inc systems over several months and downloaded sensitive data avoided a jail term on Thursday, as a court heard that he was fascinated by the technology giant and found accessing its networks addictive.

The now adult defendant, who was 16 at the time that the hacking began, accessed Apple's internal systems and copied data and authentication keys, a magistrate told a Children's Court. The company contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Australian police subsequently raided his home.

"Your offending is serious," the magistrate told the teenager, who cannot be named under Australian law that protects the identity of juvenile offenders. "It was sustained, sophisticated and a successful attack on the security of a major multinational corporation," she said.