DataBreaches.Net

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

U.S. jury indicts suspected Capital One hacker on wire fraud, data theft

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Dissent

Reuters reports:

A federal grand jury has indicted the suspected hacker who obtained personal information of over 100 million people in the Capital One Financial Corp data breach on charges of wire fraud and computer data theft, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday.

Read more on Reuters.

Here’s the DOJ’s press release with a link to the indictment:

Former Seattle Tech Worker Indicted on Federal Charges for Wire Fraud and Computer Data Theft

Indictment Cites more than 30 Victims of Data Intrusion and Theft

A former Seattle technology company software engineer was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts related to her unauthorized intrusion into stored data of more than 30 different companies, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.  PAIGE A. THOMPSON a/k/a erratic, 33, will be arraigned on the indictment in U.S. District Court in Seattle on September 5, 2019.   THOMPSON remains in custody.

THOMPSON is charged with wire fraud and computer fraud and abuse for the intrusion into data of Capital One and more than 30 other entities.  Law enforcement has identified many of the victims whose data was accessed and is working to notify them.  The indictment describes some of the victims as a state agency outside the State of Washington; a telecommunications conglomerate outside the United States; and a public research university outside the State of Washington.

According to the indictment, THOMPSON created scanning software that allowed her to identify customers of a cloud computing company who had misconfigured their firewalls, allowing outside commands to penetrate and access their servers.  THOMPSON used this access not only to steal data, but also used stolen computer power to “mine” cryptocurrency for her own benefit, a practice known as “cryptojacking.”

Law enforcement became aware of THOMPSON’s activity after she shared information with another user on the site GitHub relating to her theft of information from the servers storing Capital One data.  On July 17, 2019, the GitHub user alerted Capital One to the possibility it had suffered a data theft.  After determining on July 19, 2019, that there had been an intrusion into its data, Capital One contacted the FBI.  Cyber investigators confirmed THOMPSON was the person responsible for the data theft.   On July 29, 2019, agents executed a search warrant at THOMPSON’s residence and seized electronic storage devices containing a copy of the data.   Investigators have found no evidence that THOMPSON sold or disseminated any of the information she accessed.

The charges in the indictment carry penalties of up to 25 years in prison.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Masada and Andrew Friedman.

thompson_indictment.pdf

Related posts:

  • Ex-Amazon Cloud Worker Convicted of Capital One Hack
  • Capital One says data breach affected 100 million credit card applications
  • Genesco Suffers Criminal Computer System Intrusion
Category: Financial SectorInsiderU.S.

Post navigation

← For Foxit’s sake: PDF editor biz breached, users’ passwords among stolen data
Google, Medical Center Ask Court to Dismiss Privacy Lawsuit →

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

  • Hacker helped kill FBI sources, witnesses in El Chapo case, according to watchdog report
  • Texas Centers for Infectious Disease Associates Notifies Individuals of Data Breach in 2024
  • Battlefords Union Hospitals notifies patients of employee snooping in their records
  • Alert: Scattered Spider has added North American airline and transportation organizations to their target list
  • Northern Light Health patients affected by security incident at Compumedics; 10 healthcare entities affected
  • Privacy commissioner reviewing reported Ontario Health atHome data breach
  • CMS warns Medicare providers of fraud scheme
  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems

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

  • Hacker helped kill FBI sources, witnesses in El Chapo case, according to watchdog report
  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina
  • European Commission publishes its plan to enable more effective law enforcement access to data
  • Sacred Secrets: The Biblical Case for Privacy and Data Protection
  • Microsoft’s Departing Privacy Chief Calls for Regulator Outreach

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.