Tech History: NASA Hacked By A Teenager?!

In 1999, a 15-year-old hacker known online as “c0mrade” pulled off one of the most audacious cyber infiltrations in history. Using a homemade device worth just $25, he breached NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Department of Defense, intercepting critical software managing the International Space Station’s temperature and humidity systems—code valued at $1.7 million. NASA shut down its systems for 21 days, incurring $41,000 in costs to investigate and repair the damage.

The hacker turned out to be a 15-year-old Florida teenager. He was arrested in early 2000 and, in a landmark ruling, became the first juvenile in the U.S. to receive detention for cybercrime, serving six months in a juvenile facility.