Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly praised the cracker who was accused by the US Department of Justice of illegally accessing hundreds of government computers in the US and Israel.
"Damn good ... very dangerous, too," Netanyahu told reporters when asked what he thought of Ehud Tenebaum, the hacker whose online alias is "Analyzer." Tenebaum was placed under house arrest Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu's comments contrast sharply with those made yesterday by US Attorney General Janet Reno. In a statement announcing Tenebaum's arrest, Reno made it clear that the US would be positioning itself as a global policeman to crack down on malicious or miscievous crackers probing computer systems, whether classified or not.
"We will work around the world and in the depths of cyberspace to investigate and prosecute those who attack computer networks," said Reno.
Tenebaum had his computer and passport confiscated by Israeli authorities acting on evidence of his activities supplied to them by US investigators.
Meanwhile, photographs broadcast on Israeli television showed Tenebaum as a fresh-faced teenager with bushy eyebrows, short, kinky black hair, and a cheeky smile.
Instructors and officials at Tenebaum's high school in the central Israeli town of Hod Hasharon described the youth as a brilliant student.
Tenebaum's lawyer, Amnon Zichroni, said the youth, who was questioned by police on Thursday after being released to house arrest last night, was not a spy and hacked only for thrills.
"In the past, we used to boast about the girls we had. Nowadays, kids boast with their ability to hack into computer systems," Zichroni told Reuters.
"It appears to me he brought benefit to the Pentagon. Think about what would have happened if a spy broke into the Pentagon. He, in essence, came and discovered the Pentagon's coding weaknesses," the attorney said.
An online associate and friend of Tenebaum, who goes by the name "KuRuPTioN," suggested that Netanyahu's comments reflect a perceived difference of opinion about the severity of Analyzer's crimes, and that the comment may have political consequences.
"With public support from the prime minister, it is likely that the judge who will be presiding over Analyzer's extradition treaty will deny the US request," speculated KuRuPTioN.
Netanyahu's praise of Tenebaum may also lend credibility to recent claims by Tenebaum that he had been offered a computer security job with the Israeli government.
"He has at least one nation behind him," said KuRuPTioN.
Reuters contributed to this report
