A man from Meridian, Idaho, pleads guilty to hacking-related charges over cyberattacks he conducted in 2017 and 2018. Investigators found evidence that the man targeted over a dozen organizations that involved data theft and extortion.
According to the Justice Department, a 44-year-old man named Robert Purbeck conducted a cyberattack in 2017 by using credentials from the dark web to gain entry into a Georgia medical clinic’s system. After gaining access, Purbeck obtained the medical records as well as other personal information and social security numbers of around 43,000 people. In 2018, Purbeck conducted a second cyberattack wherein he acquired compromised credentials of the City of Newnan police department. The compromised credentials granted Purbeck access to a server used by the police department located in Georgia. Through server access, he stole police reports and personal documents with information on 14,000 individuals. In August 2019, investigators were able to track him down and performed a search at Purbeck’s home following a warrant. Throughout the search, investigators found Purbeck to be in possession of 132,000 personal data records both from the medical clinic and the city of Newnan. Purbeck will be sentenced on June 18 as he pleaded guilty to computer fraud and abuse charges. So far, he has agreed to pay over $1 million in restitution as part of his plea.
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