A 17-year-old Australian school student hacked into Apple's secure system hoping to impress the company and get a job.
The Adelaide-based boy confessed that he, along with another teenager from Melbourne, hacked into the Apple's mainframe in December 2015 and then again in early 2017 and downloaded internal documents and data, ABC.net reported on Monday.
He said he used his "high level of expertise" in information technology to create false digital credentials which tricked Apple's server into thinking he was a company employee. His actions were reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation who contacted the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Defending his client, the boy's lawyer Mark Twiggs told the court his client was not aware of the seriousness of his actions at the time and thought the company might offer him a job.
"This started when my client was 13 years of age, a very young age. He had no idea about the seriousness of the offence and hoped that when it was discovered he might gain employment at this company," the report quoted Twiggs as saying.
The lawyer also mentioned that in a similar case that happened in Europe, the hacker ended up getting employed by Apple.
The iPhone-maker did not incur any financial or intellectual loss from the hack, he said.
The boy faced the Adelaide Youth Court and pleaded guilty to multiple computer hacking charges.
Magistrate David White did not record a conviction and placed him on a $500 bond to be on good behaviour for nine months, the report added.
Apple's Decision to Grant Third-Party Apps Access to NFC Connectivity Could Benefit Crypto Industry Epic Games Launches Its iOS App Store in Europe, Brings Fortnite Back to the Platform After Four Years Apple to Allow Developers to Access iPhone NFC Functionality on iOS 18.1 in Select Regions Kolkata Rape-Murder: Fractures, 150 mg Semen, Other Claims Denied By Cops Kolkata Rape-Murder: 5 Demands Of Doctors On 24-Hour Nationwide Strike LIVE: CBI Team At Kolkata Hospital For Digital Mapping Of Crime Scene US Supreme Court Keeps Block On Rules Protecting Transgender Students How Rupert Murdoch Helped Create A Monster - The Era Of Trumpism Girl, 14, Raped By School Teacher In UP, Dies After Months Of Treatment Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.