Security News

Ex-Cisco engineer who nuked 16k WebEx accounts goes to prison
2020-12-11 10:59

Sudhish Kasaba Ramesh, a former Cisco engineer, was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine for shutting down more than 16,000 WebEx Teams accounts and over 450 virtual machines in 2018,. "[D]uring his unauthorized access he deployed a code from his Google Cloud Project account that resulted in the deletion of 456 virtual machines for Cisco's WebEx Teams application, which provides video meetings, video messaging, file sharing, and other collaboration tools," a Department of Justice press release says.

Ex-Cisco engineer who nuked 16k WebEx accounts sent to prison
2020-12-11 10:59

Sudhish Kasaba Ramesh, a former Cisco engineer, was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine for shutting down more than 16,000 WebEx Teams accounts and over 450 virtual machines in 2018,. "[D]uring his unauthorized access he deployed a code from his Google Cloud Project account that resulted in the deletion of 456 virtual machines for Cisco's WebEx Teams application, which provides video meetings, video messaging, file sharing, and other collaboration tools," a Department of Justice press release says.

Russian Sentenced to French Prison for Bitcoin Laundering
2020-12-07 18:49

A Russian bitcoin expert at the center of a multi-country legal tussle was sentenced in Paris on Monday to five years in prison for money laundering and ordered to pay 100,000 euros in fines in a case of suspected cryptocurrency fraud. Vinnik denies wrongdoing, and his lawyers are discussing whether to appeal.

Hacker Gets 8 Years in Prison for Threats to Schools, Airlines
2020-12-01 12:12

A North Carolina man was sentenced to 95 months in federal prison for his involvement in multiple cyber and swatting attacks. Responsible for making threats of shootings and bombings to numerous schools located in the United States and United Kingdom, Vaughn was sentenced to 95 months in prison for child pornography and 60 months for each of the other charges.

Hacker Closing Out Prison Sentence in Chicago Halfway House
2020-11-20 13:17

Computer hacker Jeremy Hammond, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for breaking into computer systems of security firms and law-enforcement agencies, will serve out the remainder of his term in a Chicago halfway house, a U.S. Bureau of Prison spokesman said Wednesday. The FBI arrested Hammond, who prosecutors called a hacking "Recidivist," during a 2012 raid on his Chicago home after getting the cooperation of Hector Xavier Monsegur, a hacker who helped law enforcement infiltrate the hacking movement "Anonymous," which led to the conviction of eight hackers.

Private Prison Operator GEO Group Discloses Data Breach
2020-11-05 16:08

Florida-based private prison operator GEO Group this week revealed that it was recently targeted in a cyberattack that involved ransomware and which may have resulted in the theft of sensitive information. The GEO Group operates over 120 jails, rehabilitation facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in North America, the UK, Australia and South Africa.

Russian Sentenced to Prison in U.S. for Role in Cybercrime Scheme
2020-11-03 14:04

The United States on Monday announced the sentencing of a Russian national for his role in a scheme involving the theft and trading of personal and financial information. The man, Aleksandr Brovko, 36, admitted in February to conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud.

Brit webcam criminal snared in FBI LuminosityLink creepware sting spared prison
2020-10-14 13:57

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. 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.

Brit webcam criminal snared in FBI LuminosityLink creepware sting spared prison
2020-10-14 13:57

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. 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.

Hacker Who Helped Islamic State to Remain in US Prison
2020-10-08 18:40

A computer hacker who gave the Islamic State group personal data of more than 1,300 U.S. government and military personnel will remain in a federal prison after a judge rejected his request for compassionate release. He is currently held at a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and is scheduled for release in 2032 if he gets credit for good behavior.