Security News > 2024 > March > Serial extortionist of medical facilities pleads guilty to cybercrime charges
A cyberattacker and extortionist of a medical center has pleaded guilty to federal computer fraud and abuse charges in the US. Robert Purbeck, adopting the aliases "Lifelock" and "Studmaster" during his time as a cybercriminal, according to the Department of Justice, stole personal data belonging to more than 132,000 people.
In one incident described by the DoJ following his 2021 indictment [PDF], Purbeck was said to have targeted a Florida orthodontist and threatened to sell his child's personal information unless they paid a ransom.
In another case heard in court this week, Purbeck allegedly bought access credentials to a Griffin, Georgia medical clinic's server in 2017 off the dark web, broke in, and stole the personal data of more than 43,000 people in one go.
Following the Georgia medical center data theft, Purbeck once again used an initial access broker to break into a server belonging to the police department of the city of Newnan, also in Georgia.
"Purbeck breached computer systems in our district and across the country, stole vast amounts of personal information, and aggravated his crimes by weaponizing sensitive data in an egregious attempt to extort his victims," said US attorney Ryan K Buchanan.
Purbeck is due to be sentenced on June 18, and as part of his guilty plea, he agreed to pay $1 million in restitution to his victims.