A Japanese hacker who has been taunting his country's police for months may have committed one of the biggest hacking pranks on the Internet.
After having the police solve puzzles they received via email, he managed to direct them to a small island somewhere near Tokyo, to locate a digital memory card that the hacker had placed on a cat's leash!
The memory card allegedly contained information about a virus that the hacker is using to control computers across the country.
Imagine the police chasing the hacker electronically, and their surprise when they manage to track down the cat..
Japan's National Police Agency, the equivalent of the FBI in the United States, has been hunting the hacker for months after he sent bomb threats to schools across the country, including one that was watched by the emperor's grandchildren. Earlier this year, police admitted they made a mistake by coercing four people into giving "confessions" that were later proven to have nothing to do with the threatening emails.
However, after the unheard-of prank, the police offered the hacker a reward of 3,000,000 yen (about 34,000 euros). According to Wired, this is the first time the police have offered a reward for someone for a cybercrime.
But the hacker seems to be enjoying it since on New Year's Day, police and journalists received anonymous messages promising "an invitation to a new game" very soon.
