A Hacker Faked His Own Death–Then Claimed To Have Sold Marriott Customer Data To Russians, FBI Says

Thomas Brewster reports:

A hacker told the FBI earlier this year that he sold access to the personal data of Marriott hotel customers on a Russian forum, according to a search warrant obtained by Forbes. He also hacked into a number of U.S. state death certificate registration agencies in an effort to fake his own demise, Department of Justice investigators alleged.

The defendant, Jesse Kipf from Somerset, Kentucky, was charged last month with hacking into employee accounts at two Marriott contractors earlier this year: Canadian hotel internet service provider GuestTek and online marketing specialist Milestone. With access to their internal networks, Kipf said he was able to view Marriott personal customer information and evidence indicates he sold access to the data on a Russia-based online forum known as Exploit.in, investigators claimed.