A former boy genius who shocked the world after discovering a massive Microsoft hack has been arrested in California for allegedly covering neighbors’ homes in antisemitic graffiti. 

Kristoffer Von Hassel, 18, was taken into custody by the San Diego Sheriff’s Office around 3am on Tuesday after several reports of vandalism were called in from residents in Imperial Beach, police said.

Deputies responded to two separate reports of swastikas and other hate symbols being displayed on homes on September 13 with black permanent marker, according to authorities. 

Another call came in on September 19, stating that one of the same homes was hit again, as well as a nearby alleyway behind the property, cops said. 

The agency then increased patrols in the area and uncovered surveillance footage that helped them locate the suspect, who was later identified as Von Hassel. 

He was located ‘in a dark alley where one of the vandalisms had occurred,’ police stated. 

Von Hassel had a ‘handheld electronic device capable of interacting with and analyzing certain wireless signals’ that could pair with garage doors, gates, and other systems, the police added. 

One of the homes that was hit belongs to Sandy and Bruan Brillhart, and they have been left horrified by the incidents. 

Several antisemitic markings were left on homes in Imperial Beach, California, over the past few weeks, police said

Kristoffer Von Hassel (pictured in 2014) has since been arrested for allegedly being behind the vandalism. He previously won the world over after discovering a Microsoft hack on his father’s Xbox 

‘I don’t feel safe at the beach anymore, and now I no longer feel safe in my house,’ Sandy told KGTV.

At first, she wasn’t too concerned – thinking that it was just typical vandalism – but then she learned what the symbols meant. 

A swastika, which is widely known as a symbol of hate that Nazis wore, was drawn on her front door, Sandy said. 

Another display had the letters ‘NS’ and ‘WP’ on it. ‘NS’ stands for ‘National Socialists’, Hitler’s political party, or the Nazi Party, and ‘WP’ means ‘white power.’ 

Sandy said the first attack took place around Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the New Year. 

Then, about a week after, and just before Yom Kippur – another Jewish holiday – the Brillharts realized that their garage door had Sandy’s name written on it. 

‘Well, this is unfortunate that it’s happened not only in our community, but worldwide now, and we need to deal with it before it gets out of control,’ Bill said. 

Another display had the letters ‘NS’ and ‘WP’ on it. ‘NS’ stands for ‘National Socialists’, Hitler’s political party, or the Nazi Party, and ‘WP’ means ‘white power’

Meanwhile, Von Hassel’s father said this was not something his son would do, as he referred to the moment that made the now-adult famous when he was five years old. 

‘He’s never gotten in trouble like this before. Just look what he did with Microsoft when he was 5,’ his dad told The San Diego Union-Tribune. 

In 2014, Von Hassel made headlines after he figured out how to log in to his father’s Xbox account without the correct password. 

Somehow, the then-child discovered that entering the wrong password into the log-in screen would bring up a second verification screen, the BBC reported at the time. 

By doing that, he would be allowed into his father’s account, which let him play games he wasn’t supposed to play. 

His father sent the flaw to Microsoft, which led the company to address the issue. 

The vandal used permanent marker on the homes on separate occasions, police said

Von Hassel was also awarded a spot on a list of people who have discovered problems for Microsoft products. He was also gifted four free games, $50, and a year-long subscription to Xbox Live. 

He was also referred to as the ‘world’s youngest hacker’ for his achievement.  

But now he faces a new, and not so fun, reality after his arrest. 

His mother, who asked not to be named, said: ‘We’ll be fighting this case. We’re concerned how this will impact his future.’ 

As of Wednesday afternoon, Von Hassel remains in custody at San Diego Central Jail, according to jail records reviewed by the Daily Mail. His booking photo was not made available. 

He is being held on a $122,500 bail on several charges, including vandalism and damage to property, records show.