DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

FBI agent took down teen hacker by pretending to be a reporter – and media didn’t like that

Posted on March 19, 2017 by Dissent

Raphael Satter of AP reports:

The young hacker was told in no uncertain terms: You are safe with me.

“I am not trying to find out your true identity,” AP journalist Norm Weatherill assured the teenager in an online chat. “As a member of the Press, I would rather not know who you are as writers are not allowed to reveal their sources.”

But Norm Weatherill was no reporter. He was FBI agent Norman B. Sanders Jr., and the whole conversation was a trap. Within hours, police descended on the 15-year-old hacker’s home and led him away in handcuffs for making a week and a half of emailed bomb threats at his high school in Washington state. He eventually confessed and was sentenced to 90 days in a juvenile detention center.

The 2007 bust would put an end to the bomb scares and save graduation at the school but would also raise a troubling question that is unanswered to this day: How often do FBI agents impersonate members of the news media?

Read more on OC Register.

Category: Commentaries and Analyses

Post navigation

← 15 computers with ‘sensitive information’ stolen from Chief Justice Mogoeng’s office
TX: Email gaffe revealed 1,417 cancer patients’ email addresses →

3 thoughts on “FBI agent took down teen hacker by pretending to be a reporter – and media didn’t like that”

  1. Indee One says:
    March 19, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    I have been sharing this story everywhere…I love it… Specifically the media having an issue with this… Snort…Well maybe they need to start covering more of this then

  2. Norm Weatherill says:
    March 20, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    @Indee One, your comment makes no sense. Are you saying the media doesn’t cover bomb scares in local schools or that the media didn’t cover this specific story? The latter is self-evidently false.

    Why shouldn’t the press have a problem with FBI impersonating them? Srsly? Would have been more egregious if Norman had impersonated a real journalist instead of making up a name, but even Alex Jones would have a problem if FBI agents started claiming they were representatives of his “media” organization.

    The operational failure of the teen hacker in this case was no background check the “journalist” who reached out to him. “Send me some links to your articles,” would have put that particular subterfuge to bed.

    1. Dissent says:
      March 20, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      FWIW, her comment made no sense to me, either. Anything that makes sources less likely to trust journalists works against the public interest.

Comments are closed.

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • McLaren provides written notice to 743,131 patients after ransomware attack in July 2024
  • A state forensics lab was leaking its files. Getting it locked down involved a number of people.
  • CoinMarketCap Hacked, Scrambles to Remove Malicious Wallet Verification Popup
  • Montana Attorney General launches investigation into Lee Enterprises data breach
  • AT&T gets preliminary approval for $177 million data breach settlement
  • Aflac notifies SEC of breach suspected to be work of Scattered Spider
  • Former JBLM soldier pleads guilty to attempting to share military secrets with China
  • No, the 16 billion credentials leak is not a new data breach — a wake-up call about fake news (Updated)
  • Tonga’s health system hit by cyberattack (1)
  • Russia Expert Falls Prey to Elite Hackers Disguised as US Officials

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • The Markup caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech
  • Privacy in the Big Sky State: Montana’s Consumer Privacy Law Gets Amended
  • UK Passes Data Use and Access Regulation Bill
  • Officials defend Liberal bill that would force hospitals, banks, hotels to hand over data
  • US Judge Invalidates Biden Rule Protecting Privacy for Abortions
  • DOJ’s Data Security Program: Key Compliance Considerations for Impacted Entities
  • 23andMe fined £2.31 million for failing to protect UK users’ genetic data

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.