November 3, 2023 at 04:13PM
A Dutch cybersecurity professional, Pepijn Van der Stap, has been sentenced to four years in prison for hacking and blackmailing multiple companies both in the Netherlands and worldwide. He hacked into victims’ computers, engaged in extortion, and laundered at least 2.5 million euros in cryptocurrency. Van der Stap, along with accomplices, targeted domestic and international companies from August 2020 to January 2023. The group resorted to blackmail, threatening to leak stolen data unless a ransom was paid. Van der Stap also infiltrated networks, stole sensitive data, and traded it on hacking forums.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. A 21-year-old man named Pepijn Van der Stap from Zandvoort, Netherlands has been sentenced to four years in prison for hacking and blackmailing over a dozen companies internationally.
2. Van der Stap, along with his accomplices, engaged in cybercrimes by hacking into victims’ computers, extorting money, and laundering cryptocurrency.
3. The court sentenced Van der Stap to four years of imprisonment, with one year being conditional, and a three-year probationary period.
4. The cybercrimes occurred between August 2020 and January 2023, targeting both domestic and international companies and institutions.
5. Van der Stap and his group used blackmail to extort money from the targeted companies by threatening to leak stolen data unless a ransom was paid.
6. He also infiltrated various networks and stole sensitive data from compromised companies.
7. Law enforcement found malicious tools and stolen personal information on Van der Stap’s computer, which he had acquired through hacking, purchases, or exchanges with other cybercriminals.
8. Van der Stap aided other criminals by selling or trading the stolen sensitive data, resulting in millions of damages to the affected organizations.
9. The investigation into Van der Stap’s cybercriminal activity began in March 2021, but not all targeted organizations have reported being attacked or the full extent of their losses.
10. Van der Stap had previously worked for Hadrian Security and volunteered at the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure (DIVD).
11. He was a member of various hacking forums using multiple nicknames.
12. BreachForums and RaidForums, two major hacking forums, were shut down after the arrests of their owners.
13. Van der Stap acknowledged that most of his criminal hacking activities occurred before he started working in lawful jobs and claimed to have transitioned towards ethical purposes before his arrest.