The extortionist from Russia burned his passport, and the hacker of Elon Musk's Twitter account waited for his verdict…
In 2023, many significant events took place in the world of information security. From the hacking of social networks to the theft of cryptocurrencies – the consequences of these incidents are felt both on an individual and global level. This review not only highlights the complexity and diversity of new cyber threats, but also demonstrates the efforts of law enforcement agencies that are always trying to stay one step ahead in the fight against digital crime.
Cybercrime and punishment: the story of the hacker who hacked Elon Musk's Twitter
In 2023, the fate of American hacker Joseph James O'Connor was finally decided. The man was a member of a group that in 2020 hacked the Twitter accounts of several well-known personalities, abusing access to an internal administrative tool. Among the victims were such major figures as Elon Musk and Joe Biden. The platform was forced to temporarily block the ability to post tweets for all accounts, which is more than 200 million users.
O'Connor, who has already served two years before the trial, was sentenced to five years in prison, three of which are still to come.
From engineer to cybercriminal: The path of a former Amazon employee
Shakib Ahmed, a former Amazon engineer, went over to the dark side by organizing the hacking of a cryptocurrency exchange. According to official data, a cryptocurrency worth several million dollars was stolen. The operation cost him a potential five-year prison sentence and a $ 5 million fine.
Ahmed initially posed as an ethical hacker, offering to return the stolen funds in exchange for a symbolic reward. However, the deception was soon discovered when the investigation examined his Google searches.
Why did a ransomware developer burn their passport?
Mikhail Matveev, the "central figure" in the creation and distribution of ransomware viruses such as Hive, LockBit and Babuk, burned his own passport, attracting the attention of foreign government agencies. The move was his response to accusations from the US government. Matveev, without denying his actions, but also without admitting guilt, remains in Kaliningrad, out of the reach of American justice.
According to the hacker, the passport had to be burned because the security services would pursue him in any country, and most states would have extradited him anyway. It is known that for all this time, Mikhail managed to make a profit from buybacks in the amount of several million dollars.
Hackers from North Korea: cryptocurrency thieves in the service of the nuclear program
In 2023, North Korea's hacking activity focused on collecting funds to support its nuclear program. Special attention was drawn to the hacking of cryptocurrency wallets and a number of large crypto projects. Moreover, politically motivated criminals have developed a new tactic: by attacking software developers, they also affect their customers. Thus, you can hack several services at once and get many times more profit.
Attacks on companies such as 3CX and JumpCloud underscore the strategic sense and sustainability of Pyongyang's operations.
Kulkov: a think tank for credit card fraud
After 10 years of persistent investigations, US intelligence agencies finally found the trail of the organizer of the Try2Check fraudulent scheme. The operation allowed criminals buying up stolen credit card numbers to identify which ones were still active and usable.
The central role in this scam was played by Russian citizen Denis Gennadievich Kulkov, who earned more than $ 18 million for all time. His name was included in the list of the most wanted persons of the US Secret Service, and a reward of $ 10 million was awarded for any information about his identity. Now Kulkov is in Russia — here he is out of reach of American law enforcement agencies.
Special services against Pompompurin: administrator of one of the largest hacker forums arrested
The administrator of the cybercrime forum BreachForums, under the pseudonym Pompompurin, was arrested by FBI agents in a quiet provincial town in upstate New York. For some time now, the BreachForums forum, with more than 340,000 active members, traded data from millions of people.
The arrest of 20-year-old Conor was the result of a months-long intelligence operation and meticulous surveillance of the person involved. In the end, the charges were filed not only for computer hacking and fraud, but also for possession and distribution of child pornography. Fitzpatrick has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Qakbot: The FBI's Brief Stab at Cybercrime Veterans
Over the past decade, the hacker group Qakbot has remained one of the most famous and dangerous in the cybercrime world. Their malware was regularly used to deliver ransomware to companies, organizations, and governments around the world, bringing criminals tens of millions of dollars in profits. The FBI estimates that at its peak, Qakbot infected more than 700,000 devices, of which at least 200,000 were located in the United States.
In an attempt to neutralize this group once and for all, the FBI launched a risky operation under the talking name Duck Hunt (Duck hunting). Special services fraudulently forced infected computers to download and run a special uninstaller that automatically freed systems from Qakbot.
The operation was declared successful. However, recent cases of virus infection indicate that in fact this action only briefly suspended the activity of intruders.
The fate of an autistic hacker genius: An Uncertain future behind bars
The young genius, one of the leaders of the hacker group Lapsus$, will be held in custody until doctors determine that he no longer poses a threat to society.
This decision was made in December against Arion Kurtay, a teenager from Oxford. Arion suffers from autism and was found unable to attend court when the verdict was announced.
The young attacker was one of the hackers who used social engineering and threats to gain access to the corporate networks of such giants of the gaming industry as Rockstar Games, Uber, Nvidia and the telecommunications company EE.
The judge stated that Arion's technical skills, combined with his aggressive desire to continue cybercrime activities, pose a high danger to society.
In 2023, many significant events took place in the world of information security. From the hacking of social networks to the theft of cryptocurrencies – the consequences of these incidents are felt both on an individual and global level. This review not only highlights the complexity and diversity of new cyber threats, but also demonstrates the efforts of law enforcement agencies that are always trying to stay one step ahead in the fight against digital crime.
Cybercrime and punishment: the story of the hacker who hacked Elon Musk's Twitter
In 2023, the fate of American hacker Joseph James O'Connor was finally decided. The man was a member of a group that in 2020 hacked the Twitter accounts of several well-known personalities, abusing access to an internal administrative tool. Among the victims were such major figures as Elon Musk and Joe Biden. The platform was forced to temporarily block the ability to post tweets for all accounts, which is more than 200 million users.
O'Connor, who has already served two years before the trial, was sentenced to five years in prison, three of which are still to come.
From engineer to cybercriminal: The path of a former Amazon employee
Shakib Ahmed, a former Amazon engineer, went over to the dark side by organizing the hacking of a cryptocurrency exchange. According to official data, a cryptocurrency worth several million dollars was stolen. The operation cost him a potential five-year prison sentence and a $ 5 million fine.
Ahmed initially posed as an ethical hacker, offering to return the stolen funds in exchange for a symbolic reward. However, the deception was soon discovered when the investigation examined his Google searches.
Why did a ransomware developer burn their passport?
Mikhail Matveev, the "central figure" in the creation and distribution of ransomware viruses such as Hive, LockBit and Babuk, burned his own passport, attracting the attention of foreign government agencies. The move was his response to accusations from the US government. Matveev, without denying his actions, but also without admitting guilt, remains in Kaliningrad, out of the reach of American justice.
According to the hacker, the passport had to be burned because the security services would pursue him in any country, and most states would have extradited him anyway. It is known that for all this time, Mikhail managed to make a profit from buybacks in the amount of several million dollars.
Hackers from North Korea: cryptocurrency thieves in the service of the nuclear program
In 2023, North Korea's hacking activity focused on collecting funds to support its nuclear program. Special attention was drawn to the hacking of cryptocurrency wallets and a number of large crypto projects. Moreover, politically motivated criminals have developed a new tactic: by attacking software developers, they also affect their customers. Thus, you can hack several services at once and get many times more profit.
Attacks on companies such as 3CX and JumpCloud underscore the strategic sense and sustainability of Pyongyang's operations.
Kulkov: a think tank for credit card fraud
After 10 years of persistent investigations, US intelligence agencies finally found the trail of the organizer of the Try2Check fraudulent scheme. The operation allowed criminals buying up stolen credit card numbers to identify which ones were still active and usable.
The central role in this scam was played by Russian citizen Denis Gennadievich Kulkov, who earned more than $ 18 million for all time. His name was included in the list of the most wanted persons of the US Secret Service, and a reward of $ 10 million was awarded for any information about his identity. Now Kulkov is in Russia — here he is out of reach of American law enforcement agencies.
Special services against Pompompurin: administrator of one of the largest hacker forums arrested
The administrator of the cybercrime forum BreachForums, under the pseudonym Pompompurin, was arrested by FBI agents in a quiet provincial town in upstate New York. For some time now, the BreachForums forum, with more than 340,000 active members, traded data from millions of people.
The arrest of 20-year-old Conor was the result of a months-long intelligence operation and meticulous surveillance of the person involved. In the end, the charges were filed not only for computer hacking and fraud, but also for possession and distribution of child pornography. Fitzpatrick has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Qakbot: The FBI's Brief Stab at Cybercrime Veterans
Over the past decade, the hacker group Qakbot has remained one of the most famous and dangerous in the cybercrime world. Their malware was regularly used to deliver ransomware to companies, organizations, and governments around the world, bringing criminals tens of millions of dollars in profits. The FBI estimates that at its peak, Qakbot infected more than 700,000 devices, of which at least 200,000 were located in the United States.
In an attempt to neutralize this group once and for all, the FBI launched a risky operation under the talking name Duck Hunt (Duck hunting). Special services fraudulently forced infected computers to download and run a special uninstaller that automatically freed systems from Qakbot.
The operation was declared successful. However, recent cases of virus infection indicate that in fact this action only briefly suspended the activity of intruders.
The fate of an autistic hacker genius: An Uncertain future behind bars
The young genius, one of the leaders of the hacker group Lapsus$, will be held in custody until doctors determine that he no longer poses a threat to society.
This decision was made in December against Arion Kurtay, a teenager from Oxford. Arion suffers from autism and was found unable to attend court when the verdict was announced.
The young attacker was one of the hackers who used social engineering and threats to gain access to the corporate networks of such giants of the gaming industry as Rockstar Games, Uber, Nvidia and the telecommunications company EE.
The judge stated that Arion's technical skills, combined with his aggressive desire to continue cybercrime activities, pose a high danger to society.
