Security News > 2021 > December > Former Ubiquity dev charged for trying to extort his employer
Nickolas Sharp, a former employee of networking device maker Ubiquiti, was arrested and charged today with data theft and attempting to extort his employer while posing as a whistleblower and an anonymous hacker.
"As alleged, Nickolas Sharp exploited his access as a trusted insider to steal gigabytes of confidential data from his employer posing as an anonymous hacker, sent the company a nearly $2 million ransom demand," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said today.
"As further alleged, after the FBI searched his home in connection with the theft, Sharp, now posing as an anonymous company whistleblower, planted damaging news stories falsely claiming the theft had been by a hacker enabled by a vulnerability in the company's computer systems."
"SHARP subsequently re-victimized his employer by causing the publication of misleading news articles about the company's handling of the breach that he perpetrated, which were followed by a significant drop in the company's share price associated with the loss of billions of dollars in its market capitalization," the Department of Justice said.
While the DOJ didn't name Sharp's employer in today's press release or the indictment, all the details perfectly align with previous info on the Ubiquiti breach and information presented in Sharp's LinkedIn account.
Sharp is charged with four counts and is facing a maximum sentence of 37 years in prison if found guilty.