Computer Crimes And Punishment

guest · Sep 24, 2020

Nigerian Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Computer Hacking Scheme that Targeted Government Employees
September 23, 2020
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/...n-computer-hacking-scheme-targeted-government

A Nigerian national was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for his role in a computer hacking and identity theft scheme that defrauded vendors of nearly $1 million of office products after “phishing” e-mail login information from government employees, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Olumide Ogunremi, a/k/a “Tony Williams,” 43, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan B. Wigenton in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence today by video conference.
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From at least July 2013 through December 2013, Ogunremi and others perpetrated a computer hacking and theft scheme on U.S. government agencies’ email systems and General Services Administration vendors. The ring employed “phishing” attacks, which used fraudulent e-mails and websites that mimicked the legitimate e-mails and web pages of U.S. government agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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guest · Sep 24, 2020

Computer Programmer Pleads Guilty to Lying about Silk Road Involvement
September 24, 2020
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-s...-guilty-to-lying-about-silk-road-involvement/

A computer programmer pleaded guilty to making false statements about his involvement with the Silk Road underground web marketplace.

On Setpember 21, Michael R. Weigand (also known as “Shabang”) surrendered himself and told U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III that he had lied to federal investigators about his work with Silk Road.
Thailand law enforcement officials arrested Clark in December 2015—just months after the U.S. district court for the southern district of New York sentenced Ulbricht to life in prison.
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His admission carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. stated that Weigand and his Silk Road associates thought that law enforcement would never catch up to them. As quoted in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice:
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guest · Sep 25, 2020

mood said: ↑

Russian National Indicted for Conspiracy to Introduce Malware into a Computer Network
September 4, 2020
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/russ...conspiracy-introduce-malware-computer-network
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Suspect behind failed Tesla ransomware ploy on Giga Nevada pleads not guilty
September 25, 2020
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-ransomware-attack-russian-pleads-not-guilty/

After a long drive from Reno, Nevada to Los Angeles on August 22, 2020, Russian citizen Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov was intercepted by authorities, seemingly as he was attempting to flee the United States. Kriuchkov was arrested for his alleged involvement in a planned ransomware attack against Tesla, which came to light thanks to a report from an employee at Gigafactory Nevada who was being recruited for the effort.

Before a federal magistrate judge on Thursday, Kriuchkov denied any wrongdoing.
Kriuchkov’s lawyers, federal public defenders Sylvia Irvin and Brandon Jaroch, have not released a statement about their client as of date, as per a report from The Stamford Advocate.
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If convicted, the Russian citizen could face a sentence of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, as per Nicholas Trutanich, an attorney in Nevada. Kriuchkov could also face deportation following his prison term.
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guest · Sep 25, 2020

Crofton man gets jail time for hacking former employer’s IT network, deleting files
September 24, 2020
https://www.capitalgazette.com/news...0200924-zbgcf3xlsvhtbh5skhtbdi5l7u-story.html

A Crofton man was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison Thursday for hacking into his former employer’s computer network in 2015 and deleting stored files.

Shannon L. Stafford, 50, was convicted of illegally accessing a protected computer network after the attack on his former employer, which was not named in the indictment filed in July 2017, federal court records show.
U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake also sentenced Stafford to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $193,258.10 to his former employer.
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During the November 2019 trial in Baltimore, prosecutors presented evidence that Stafford repeatedly attempted to remotely access his former employer’s computer networks from his home using the company laptop. When he eventually succeeded using a former co-worker’s password, he executed commands to delete file storage drives then changed the password to the storage management system.

Losses to the business included $38,270 for restoring lost data. But legal fees totaled $133,950.60, and the company paid another $21,037.50 for a forensic investigation.
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guest · Sep 27, 2020

mood said: ↑

Anonymous hacker gets 10 years in prison for DDoS attacks on children's hospitals
January 10, 2019
https://www.zdnet.com/article/anony...ison-for-ddos-attacks-on-childrens-hospitals/
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INTERVIEW: ‘Guardian Hacktivist’ Martin Gottesfeld’s Attorney Talks First Appeal Strategy
September 23, 2020
https://www.dailywire.com/news/inte...tesfelds-attorney-talks-first-appeal-strategy

Martin Gottesfeld, the “guardian hacktivist” who allegedly initiated a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) campaign on Boston Children’s Hospital in protest of the hospital’s alleged medical kidnapping of Justina Pelletier, has filed his first appeal.

For approximately the last two years, Gottesfeld has been serving his prison sentence in FCI Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Gottesfeld’s attorney, Brandon Sample. During our brief interview, Sample discussed the primary points of Gottesfeld’s appeal, which was filed in July — including the Speedy Trial Act, alleged judicial conflicts of interest, and more.
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guest · Sep 29, 2020

Bitcoin Exchange Owner Convicted for Role in Web Auction Fraud Scheme
September 29, 2020
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-s...nvicted-for-role-in-web-auction-fraud-scheme/

A federal jury convicted the owner of a bitcoin exchange for his role in a multi-million dollar scheme involving online auction fraud.
On September 28, a federal jury in Frankfort, Kentucky found Bulgarian national Rossen Iossifov, 53, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The scheme began when conspiracy members based in Romania used Americans’ stolen identities to place false advertisements for automobiles and other high-cost items on Craigslist, eBay and other auction sites. Those advertisements used carefully crafted personal narratives to try to trick viewers into sending over money for the advertised goods.
The Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs clarified the part played by Iossifov, owner of Bulgaria-based bitcoin exchange RG Coins, in a press release:
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guest · Sep 29, 2020

mood said: ↑

Guilty of hacking in the UK? Worry not: Stats show prison is unlikely
Just a 16% chance
May 29, 2019
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/05/29/computer_misuse_act_prosecutions_analysis/
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UK Hacking Prosecutions Drop by 12% in 2019
September 29, 2020
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-hacking-prosecutions-drop-2019/

Hacking prosecutions fell by 12% to 57 in 2019 compared to the previous year in the UK, according to an analysis by the law firm RPC. This meant that just 0.33% of the 17,600 hacking offences reported in the UK in 2019 resulted in a prosecution under the Computer Misuse Act.

RPC believes lack of resources being provided to the police to investigate such cases is the biggest factor in prosecutions being so low. It added that the UK government typically focuses its resources on targeting cyber-criminals involved in attempts to compromise national security.
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Richard Breavington, partner at RPC, commented: “Tracking down cyber-criminals is a very resource-intensive task. Hackers know how to cover their tracks, and doing so is relatively straighforward. Cyber-criminals view hacking as a low-risk activity, with virtually zero risk of prosecution.”
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guest · Sep 29, 2020

Convicted Russian Hacker Nikulin To Be Sentenced In U.S. Federal Court
September 29, 2020
https://www.rferl.org/a/convicted-r...-sentenced-in-u-s-federal-court/30864661.html

Yevgeny Nikulin, the Russian man dubbed the “Putin” of the Russian hacking world by another colleague, is set to be sentenced in a U.S. federal court after being convicted of hacking LinkedIn, DropBox, and other Internet companies.

Nikulin’s sentencing, set for U.S. District Court in San Francisco on September 29, will bring to a close a nearly four-year process that began with his surprise arrest in the Czech Republic in October 2016.
Nikulin, who was extradited to the United States 17 months after his arrest, was targeted by U.S. law enforcement as part of a multiyear campaign to arrest some of the most notorious Russian hackers and suspected cybercriminals.
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guest · Sep 30, 2020

Two charged for hacking NBA, NFL players' social media accounts
September 30, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...acking-nba-nfl-players-social-media-accounts/

The US Department of Justice charged two men for their involvement in the fraudulent takeover of email and social media accounts owned by multiple National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) athletes.

Between December 2017 and April 2019, Trevontae Washington from Louisiana and Ronnie Magrehbi from Florida allegedly compromised and took over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat social media accounts of several professional and semi-professional football and basketball players employed by the NFL and the NBA.
The two men were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud (maximum 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000) and one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse (maximum five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000).
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Compromised accounts used for extortion
While Washington only sold access to the compromised accounts to others to further exploit them for various amounts ranging from $500 to $1,000, Magrehbi also extorted the NFL player whose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts he managed to take over.

"Magrehbi extorted the player, demanding payment in return for restoring access to the accounts," a DoJ press release published today explains.
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guest · Sep 30, 2020

mood said: ↑

Convicted Russian Hacker Nikulin To Be Sentenced In U.S. Federal Court
September 29, 2020
https://www.rferl.org/a/convicted-r...-sentenced-in-u-s-federal-court/30864661.html
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Russian hacker, described as 'brilliant' by judge, gets seven years in a US clink for raiding LinkedIn, Dropbox
September 30, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/30/linkedin_hacker_prison/

A Russian scumbag found guilty of hacking into LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Formspring – and stealing data on over 200 million users – has been sent down for more than seven years.

Yevgeniy Nikulin was sentenced to 88 months in an American prison by a federal court in San Francisco this week though the judge in this case, William Alsup, was surprisingly kind about the 32-year-old Russian.

“I think you’re a brilliant guy. Very smart,” Alsup told him.
“I urge you to apply that brilliance to a lawful profession and do something good with your life other than hacking into computers.”
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guest · Oct 1, 2020

mood said: ↑

Nintendo files lawsuits in crackdown against Switch hackers
Two new lawsuits were filed on Friday
May 18, 2020
https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/18/21262121/nintendo-switch-hacking-lawsuit-pirated-games
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Nintendo agrees to $2 million settlement in Switch hacking lawsuit
A permanent injunction was also ordered against the defendant
October 1, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-2-million-settlement-switch-hacking-lawsuit-212546195.html

Nintendo has agreed to a $2 million settlement in its intellectual property lawsuit against a site called UberChips, according to court documents obtained by Torrent Freak. Nintendo had filed a lawsuit against UberChips earlier this year in an Ohio court, claiming the site sold products from hacking group Team Xecuter that allowed customers to install and play pirated Switch games.

After Nintendo filed the lawsuit in May, UberChips went offline -- but Nintendo still pursued the lawsuit. UberChips’ owner responded to the lawsuit through his attorney in June and denied all allegations. However, the parties were able to agree on a settlement this week.
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guest · Oct 7, 2020

Disgraced cop, 55, spared prison term after admitting he abused police systems to snoop on his girlfriend's ex
120 hours' community service and suspended sentence for computer misuse and data protection crimes
October 7, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/07/michael_westbury_police_computer_misuse/

A police officer who quit while under investigation for computer misuse crimes has walked free from court after pleading guilty to a total of nine offences.

Michael Westbury, 55, of Aberystwyth, Wales, confessed to seven charges under the Computer Misuse Act and two under the Data Protection Act at Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court on 1 October.
At the time he committed his crimes, Westbury was a constable with Dyfed-Powys Police. The Powys County Times reported that he had "dishonourably" left the force after being caught "unlawfully accessing information about the ex-partner of a woman he was in a relationship with" at Aberystwyth Police Station in April and May last year.
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Unlawfully accessing state databases is not an uncommon crime among police, though few ever face the courts for it. One who did was Metropolitan Police sergeant Okechukwu Efobi of Harrow, London, who was caught monitoring an ongoing criminal investigation that had nothing to do with him. Like Westbury, Efobi also walked free from court with community service.
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guest · Oct 11, 2020

Crown Prosecution Service solicitor accused of targeting judge ex-wife's lover through work computer systems
October 9, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/09/cps_solicitor_computer_misuse_act_charges/

A Crown Prosecution Service lawyer is on trial accused of unlawfully accessing information about his judge wife's new lover after their marriage broke down.

Scott Ainge, 47, was accused by estranged wife Kate of mounting "a relentless, determined and continual campaign of harassment" that culminated in him abusing his access to CPS computer systems to look up the criminal past of her new lover.
Liverpool Crown Court heard earlier this week how Ainge also allegedly tracked and photographed his wife's car, as well as monitoring her emails and social media accounts as she cavorted with new lover Andrew Thompson.
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Ainge denies five charges of unauthorised access to information under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and one count of stalking. The case continues.
Public sector workers abusing their access to state computer systems is not uncommon, though it is relatively rare for these cases to be brought to court.
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guest · Oct 14, 2020

mood said: ↑

Minety voyeur pervert John Wood admits hacking 45 computers
January 3, 2020
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk...ervert-john-wood-admits-hacking-45-computers/
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Brit webcam criminal snared in FBI LuminosityLink creepware sting spared prison
Swindon man walks away with two-year suspended sentence
October 14, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/14/swindon_webcam_perv_john_wood/

A man who spied on unsuspecting victims through their webcams has escaped a prison sentence after buying off-the-shelf LuminosityLink malware and using CCTV software to spy on them.

John Wood, 42, received a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to two Computer Misuse Act charges and six counts of voyeurism at Swindon Crown Court.
Crown prosecutor Russell Pyne told the court that Wood had been caught by police as part of a wider multinational investigation into LuminosityLink creator Colton Grubbs, who pleaded guilty to US criminal charges over the malware in 2018.
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The Swindon Advertiser pictured Wood leaving court carrying two well-filled bags. He got off lightly: Grubbs, the creator of LuminosityLink, had to forfeit 114 Bitcoins and serve 30 months in US prison, as we reported in late 2018.
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guest · Oct 23, 2020

Ex-Century 21 Employee in NYC Breaches Payroll Data, Gives Others Paid Holidays: DA
October 22, 2020
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loc...l-data-gives-others-paid-holidays-da/2681628/

A New York City man has been arrested after he allegedly hacked into Century 21's payroll system and gave some of his former co-workers paid holidays regardless of whether they worked or not.

Hector Navarro started working as a systems administrator at the department store's Manhattan location in 2012 and before his resignation in October 2019, prosecutors say he stole employee data and created a "superuser" account that allowed him to access the company's private network after he's no longer an employee.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office said Wednesday that the 30-year-old from Brooklyn accessed the account from his apartment and tampered with other user accounts, including deleting data related to his replacements so that they could not access Century 21’s networks.
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Navarro is also accused of making changes to the company’s holiday payroll policy that would have paid certain employees for holidays even if they didn't work on those dates. Century 21 discovered the data breach after Navarro's replacements could not get into the system, prosecutors said.
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D.A. Vance: Former Century 21 Employee Charged with Computer Tampering, Larceny For Breach of Company Data

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of HECTOR NAVARRO, 30, a former Human Resources systems administrator at Century 21’s Manhattan department store, for breaching the company’s network to steal and alter data. NAVARRO is charged in a New York Supreme Court indictment with Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Computer Tampering in the Third Degree, Computer Trespass, and Petit Larceny, among other charges.
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guest · Oct 25, 2020

Individual Charged with Cyberstalking Three Victims
October 23, 2020
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/individual-charged-cyberstalking-three-victims

A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Kenneth Kurson, also known as “Jayden Wagner” and “Eddie Train,” with stalking and harassing three individuals.

As alleged in the complaint, between approximately November 2015 and December 2015, Kurson engaged in a pattern of stalking and harassment against three victims. As part of this pattern, Kurson used multiple aliases to file false complaints about two of the victims with their employer, post false negative reviews about one victim’s professional conduct on crowd-sourced review websites and made unsolicited contact with two of the victims.

“Kurson is alleged to have engaged in a disturbing pattern of retaliatory harassment that intimidated and alarmed several victims and their employer,” stated Acting United States Attorney DuCharme. “This Office is committed to protecting victims from malicious cyberstalking activity and apprehending criminals who try to rely on Internet anonymity to facilitate their crimes.”
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guest · Oct 27, 2020

New York City Man Going To Prison For Cyberstalking And Posting Naked Pictures Of Victim Online
October 27, 2020
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/p...king-and-posting-naked-pictures-victim-online

U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Charles Regalbuto, 27, of New York City, was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that beginning in October 2014, the defendant sent multiple text messages to the Victim, threatening to publish naked photographs of the Victim on various social media websites. In one text message, Regalbuto stated: "I'll ruin your life the way you ruined mine."
In 2017, without permission to do so, Regalbuto posted the naked photographs of the Victim on social media sites, resulting in multiple internet users seeing the photos along with the Victim’s name associated with the photos.
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guest · Oct 29, 2020

Taiwan business pleads guilty to trade secret theft in case connected to Chinese state-owned company
The Taiwan company will have to pay a $60 million fine
Octobre 29, 2020
https://justthenews.com/government/...ade-secret-theft-case-connected-chinese-state

Taiwan business that pleaded guilty to criminal trade-secret theft has been slapped with a whopping $60 million fine, the second most substantial fine ever levied in such a prosecution according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The organization—United Microelectronics Corporation, Inc. (UMC)—has consented to cooperate as the U.S. government targets co-defendant Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd, a Chinese state-owned entity, with investigation and prosecution.
In 2018 those two businesses and three people were indicted "for conspiracy to steal, convey, and possess stolen trade secrets of an American semiconductor company (Micron Technology, Inc. (Micron)) for the benefit of a state-owned enterprise of the PRC [People's Republic of China] (Fujian Jinhua)," according to the DOJ's press release.
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"Chen hired Ho and Wang to join the DRAM development team, and Ho and Wang brought Micron’s confidential information to UMC from Micron’s Taiwan subsidiary. [...]
In particular, Wang used one file containing Micron’s trade secrets to adjust UMC’s design rules for the memory in question," the DOJ said.
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DoJ: Taiwan Company Pleads Guilty to Trade Secret Theft in Criminal Case Involving PRC State-Owned Company

The Department of Justice today announced that United Microelectronics Corporation, Inc. (UMC), a Taiwan semiconductor foundry, pleaded guilty to criminal trade secret theft and was sentenced to pay a $60 million fine, in exchange for its agreement to cooperate with the government in the investigation and prosecution of its co-defendant, a Chinese state-owned-enterprise.
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guest · Oct 30, 2020

Ex-Trillium Health employee accused of hacking co-workers, stealing nude photos
October 28, 2020
https://eu.democratandchronicle.com...wy-stole-nude-photos-rochester-ny/6058141002/

A former technology employee at Trillium Health is accused of accessing the personal information of numerous co-workers and stealing nude photographs and videos of them, the United States Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Ameer Elashmawy, 28, a former Trillium information systems security support coordinator, is charged with unauthorized access of a protected computer and identity theft, prosecutors allege.

"During the course of this investigation, through victim interviews and a digital forensic review of Elashmawy's recovered electronic devices, over 65 victims of Elashmawy’s cyber intrusion have been identified," the criminal complaint stated. He allegedly possessed hundreds of nude photographs and videos of his co-workers.
A Trillium Health spokesperson said there is no indication Elashmawy accessed patient information.
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guest · Oct 31, 2020

Maryland Man Indicted For Scheme To Steal Digital Currency, Social Media Accounts Through Phishing
October 30, 2020
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020...rency-social-media-accounts-through-phishing/

A Maryland man was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on identity theft and wire fraud charges.

Jordan K. Milleson, 21, of Timonium, and Kyell A. Bryan, 19, of Kingston, Pennsylvania allegedly concocted a scheme to steal digital currency and social media accounts through phishing and “sim-swapping.”
The superseding indictment alleges that Milleson, Bryan, and others used electronic account credentials stolen from employees and affiliates of wireless providers to access those companies’ computer networks without authorization.
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After obtaining access to these networks, the defendants allegedly took over individual victims’ wireless accounts through “SIM swapping,” whereby customers’ mobile numbers, which are linked to unique subscriber identity modules (“SIM”), were instead linked to a SIM installed in a device controlled by the defendants or their co-conspirators.
As a result of these activities, Milleson allegedly took over the social media accounts of two victims, one of whom had thousands of followers and had monetized their account through sponsored links, product placements, and product reviews.
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guest · Nov 2, 2020

$100M Botnet Scheme Lands Cybercriminal 8 Years in Jail
November 2, 2020
https://threatpost.com/100m-botnet-russian-cybercriminal-8-years-jail/160852/

Authorities have sentenced a hacker to eight years in prison for trafficking stolen personally identifiable information (PII) and online banking credentials resulting in losses totaling over $100 million.

Aleksandr Brovko, 36, formerly of the Czech Republic, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Monday. The DoJ said that between 2007 and 2019, Brovko worked closely with other cybercriminals to monetize vast troves of data that had been stolen by botnets.

“For over a decade, Brovko participated in a scheme to gain access to Americans’ personal and financial information, causing more than $100 million in intended loss,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, in a statement issued Monday.
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DoJ: Russian Cybercriminal Sentenced to Prison for Role in $100 Million Botnet Conspiracy

As reflected in court documents, from 2007 through 2019, Brovko worked closely with other cybercriminals to monetize vast troves of data that had been stolen by “botnets,” or networks of infected computers. Brovko, in particular, wrote software scripts to parse botnet logs and performed extensive manual searches of the data in order to extract easily monetized information, such as personally identifiable information and online banking credentials.
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guest · Nov 5, 2020

Suspended sentence for bank IT worker who hacked his boss's webcam because he didn't get a payrise
November 4, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/04/ashley_crispin_hacking_british_business_bank/

An Essex IT worker has walked free from court after screwing with the British Business Bank's systems in revenge for not getting a payrise.

Service desk analyst Ashley Crispin, of Wickford Place, Basildon, quit his job at the state-owned economic development bank established by UK.gov, after growing frustrated that he hadn't received a raise he thought he deserved.
Rather than serving out his notice period quietly and moving on, though, the 23-year-old decided to "show off" by tampering with the bank's systems before he left, Inner London Crown Court heard on 30 October.

His Honour Judge Jeremy Donne QC told Crispin, as reported by the Basildon Echo: "To say you have behaved utterly stupidly is almost a grotesque understatement."
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guest · Nov 6, 2020

U.S. and UK Help Brazil to Seize Pirate Site Domains in ‘Operation 401’
November 5, 2020
https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-and-u-...-pirate-site-domains-in-operation-401-201106/

Last year, Brazilian law enforcement conducted a large anti-piracy campaign codenamed ‘Operation 404,’ referring to the well-known HTTP error code.
With help from international law enforcement, the authorities took down at least 136 sites, 100 apps, and arrested eight suspects.
Operation 401 #2
This week, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice announced the second wave of Operation 404. With 25 search and seizure warrants in hand, law enforcement officials have blocked or seized the domain names of 252 pirate sites and 65 pirate streaming services.

In addition to the blocking orders, the warrants also require search engines to deindex several domain names while social media networks are asked to disable related accounts. This is an ongoing process.
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“By seizing these domain names, law enforcement has disrupted the unlawful reproduction and distribution of thousands of pirated television shows and movies, while also cutting off the profits to unlawful actors willing to exploit the hard work of others for their own personal gain,” he said.

The US authorities seized the domain names of torrent sites megatorrentshd.biz, comandotorrentshd.tv, and bludv.tv, which are now showing a prominent seizure banner instead.
According to an affidavit in support of the U.S. seizure warrants, these domains provided “free access to copyrighted content to website visitors all over the world, including released and pre-release feature-length movies and television shows.”
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DoJ: U.S. Law Enforcement Assists Brazilian Law Enforcement Takedown of Numerous Digital Piracy Sites and Apps Alleged to Have Caused Millions of Dollars in Losses to U.S. Media Companies

Three U.S.-Based Websites Allegedly Offered Thousands of Pirated Television Shows and Movies Owned by U.S. Rights Holders to Brazilian Audiences
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ronjor · Nov 11, 2020

Microsoft engineer gets nine years for stealing $10M from Microsoft

The defendant tried—and failed—to use bitcoin to cover his tracks.
Timothy B. Lee - 11/10/2020
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guest · Nov 16, 2020

Cyber-criminal Fined $300k for Pipeline Attacks
November 16, 2020
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybercriminal-fined-300k-for/

A man from New Hampshire has been fined nearly $300,000 after admitting his role in cyber-attacks targeting the construction of a 1,172-mile-long pipeline spanning three American states.

Joseph Earl Thomas Aubut of Conway confessed to being part of a hacking group that launched a series of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in 2016 in an attempt to prevent the Dakota Access Pipeline from being built.
Construction of the $3.78bn pipeline that passes under Lake Oahe began in June 2016, and its first oil was delivered in May 2017.
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Court documents state that Walmart clerk Aubut began recruiting members of Anonymous in the summer of 2016 to attack the unnamed company with DDoS attacks that used malware to overwhelm the victim's website with large volumes of traffic.

Aubut reportedly made YouTube videos, posted under the pseudonym Sergeant Anonymous, to attract cyber-criminals to carry out the attacks. He also threatened to dox (publicly reveal the personal data) of at least one executive who worked at the victim company, the governor of North Dakota, and a law enforcement officer.
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