March 20, 2024 at 10:41AM
Robert Purbeck, a cyberattacker and extortionist of a medical center, pleaded guilty to federal computer fraud and abuse charges in the US. Using aliases “Lifelock” and “Studmaster,” he stole personal data from over 132,000 people and targeted 18 organizations, including medical clinics, for ransom. He is due to pay $1 million in restitution to his victims.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes include:
– A cyberattacker, Robert Purbeck, has pleaded guilty to federal computer fraud and abuse charges in the US.
– Purbeck, also known as “Lifelock” and “Studmaster,” targeted various organizations, including medical clinics, and stole personal data belonging to over 132,000 people.
– He engaged in extortion tactics by threatening to sell a Florida orthodontist’s child’s personal information unless a ransom was paid and harassed the orthodontist and his patients through emails and text messages.
– Purbeck bought access credentials to a Georgia medical clinic’s server off the dark web and stole personal data of more than 43,000 people, which included names, addresses, dates of birth, and social security numbers.
– He also breached a police department’s server, stealing files containing personal information of an additional 14,000 people.
– US attorney Ryan K Buchanan highlighted the significant risk that cyberattacks on healthcare facilities and local governments pose to the security of personal information.
– Purbeck is set to be sentenced on June 18 and has agreed to pay $1 million in restitution to his victims as part of his guilty plea.