Hacker creates new rating system for software security

San Francisco

A FAMED hacker who nearly 20 years ago told the US Congress he could take down the Internet in 30 minutes is now going after the computer software industry, whose standard practices all but guarantee that most products will be vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Peiter Zatko, known in the hacker world as Mudge, was the best-known member of pioneering Boston hacking group the L0pht. More recently, he headed a Defense Department grant programme for computer security projects.