Israeli hacker cut off Australia from the world

The Israeli "Analyzer", who is currently being questioned by the Israeli authorities for allegedly breaking into Pentagon computer systems, faces a new set of suspicions.

Israeli media reported that Ehud Tannenbaum is also suspected of one of the biggest computer break-ins in history. He is believed to be behind other unsolved and undisclosed break-ins against computer systems worldwide.

According to those suspicions, Tannenbaum managed to bring down the entire continent of Australia's Internet connections and cause pandemonium in IBM's computer system. Internet provider NetDex California, the first company that suspected the Analyzer and brought its suspicion to the FBI's attention, said the Israeli intruder is facing further suspicions, including his involvement in a series of illegal break-ins of computer systems. The FBI, as usual, refused to comment on the report, and its officials said it is contrary to their policy to give announcements about their investigations before they are entirely over.

Reports from Australia based on a worker for an Australian Internet company said the incident took place some months ago when a certain program caused traffic and "congestion" to the Internet satellite and resulted in a total cut-off of the Internet supplier to the telephone satellite chain, which connected the continent to the rest of the world.

Reports from the US and quoted in Israel said the Israeli Analyzer allegedly used the same technique to break into IBM's computer systems. An IBM worker was quoted as saying that he exchange words with the Israeli hacker and concluded that the man is "unprofessional." He said he aggravated the Israeli intruder, who decided to retaliate by clogging IBM's network and preventing thousands of IBM workers from being able to connect to their clients and to the Internet.