million iCloud accounts[1]
and threatened to factory reset all accounts unless Apple pays
ransom has pleaded guilty in London for trying to blackmail Apple.
In March 2017, Kerem Albayrak from North London claimed to be a
spokesman for a hacking group called the “Turkish Crime Family[2]” and in possession of
319 million iCloud accounts.
Albayrak gave Apple a deadline until April 7, 2017, to pay up
$75,000 in crypto-currency or $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards
in return for deleting the copy of stolen database, the U.K.
National Crime Agency said in a statement,
calling the blackmailer a “fame-hungry cyber-criminal.”
[3]
However, if the company failed to meet his demands, Albayrak
threatened that he would start remotely wiping the victim’s Apple
devices, factory reset iCloud accounts, and dump the stolen
database online.
In late March 2017, the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit arrested
Albayrak at his home and seized digital devices, including his
phone, computers and hard drives, after Apple contacted law
enforcement in the U.K. and the U.S.
The NCA investigation into the matter confirmed that there were
no signs of a compromise of Apple’s iCloud network and that the
data Albayrak claimed to have in possession was actually from
“previously compromised third-party services which were mostly
inactive.”
Earlier this month, the blackmailer pleaded guilty to one count
of blackmail and two counts of “unauthorized acts with intent to
impair the operation of or prevent/hinder access to a
computer.”
given a two year suspended jail term, full 300 hours of unpaid work
in the neighbourhood, and a six-month electronic curfew.
“Albayrak wrongly believed he could escape justice after hacking
into two accounts and attempting to blackmail a large
multi-national corporation,” said Anna Smith, a Senior
Investigative Officer for the NCA.
“During the investigation, it became clear that he was seeking fame
and fortune. But cyber-crime doesn’t pay. The NCA is committed to
bringing cyber-criminals to justice. It is imperative that victims
report such compromises as soon as possible and retain all
evidence.”
“once you get sucked into it [cyber crime], it just escalates and
it makes it interesting when it’s illegal,” adding “when you have
power on the internet it’s like fame and everyone respects you, and
everyone is chasing that right now.”
References
- ^
access to over 300 million iCloud
accounts (thehackernews.com) - ^
Turkish Crime Family
(twitter.com) - ^
statement
(www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk)