This article is about the top notorious cybercriminals in the world and how they use their skills to commit various crimes. It offers a glimpse into how some of the most notorious criminals operate and how they can stay one step ahead of law enforcement.
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Internet development lies at the pinnacle of human achievements; it has introduced a new chapter in criminal history books-notorious cybercriminals. Cyberattacks are one of the highlights of terror, causing billions of dollars to escape our pockets yearly. Some cyber criminals even carved their names in history in the binary battlefield of cyberattacks.
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The World’s 9 Most Notorious Cybercriminals
The world’s top nine cybercriminals are all known for their criminal negligence and misuse of technology. They have a history of wreaking havoc on businesses and patients, costing more than $100 billion in damages in 2017 alone.
Here are 9 of the most famous cybercriminals:
1. Kevin Mitnick, One of The Notorious Cybercriminals
Kevin Mitnick was one of the notorious cybercriminals who hacked into computers and networks for personal gain. He is the epitome of black-hat hackers. His criminal activities were initiated as early as 12 when he used social engineering and dumpster diving to bypass the LA buses’ punch card system.
In the dreadful year of 1979, sixteen-year-old Kevin managed to hack into the computer network of Digital Equipment Corporation(DEC) and steal $ 1 million worth of software. He was arrested the following year for 12 months, accompanied by three years of supervised release.
However, even after being released, he committed cyberattacks on the voicemail computers of Pacific Bell. He was issued a warrant for his phishing attack. But he escaped and remained in hiding for more than two years. He was known to commit several other phishing attacks and cyberattacks during this period.
2. The Evil of Jonathan James
Jonathan James is one of the most notorious cyber criminals, known for his vile crimes. James has been accused of being a master of cybercrime and possesses an auspicious skillset. He has been caught stealing millions of dollars from businesses and individuals worldwide.
Between August 23, 1999, and October 27, 1999, he committed a series of cyberattacks on a division of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), BellSouth, the Miami-Dade School system. and a piece of NASA software. His crimes cost NASA a staggering $1.7 million, further aggravated by a $41000 due to its 3-week shutdown.
This black hat hacker was brought to the law in September 2000, subject to a six-month house arrest, and banned from computer use before 18. However, he committed suicide in May 2008 after being convicted of committing phishing attacks on credit card information.
3. Albert Gonzalez- The Mastermind Hacker
Albert Gonzalez was a terrifying black hat hacker, also known by his various online names of “soupnazi,” “service,” and “cumbajohny.”
He was an active member of the criminal commerce site ShadowCrew.com. Where he was highly regarded for his expert hacking skills, he was convicted of committing debit and credit card fraud relating to millions of card accounts.
4. The Terrifying History of Sony Pictures
In the dreadful year of 2011, the PlayStation Network suffered from one of the most notorious cyberattacks in history, costing the firm an estimated loss of $171 million.
Reports have targeted their blame on the government of North Korea as the nation was furious at Sony due to their upcoming movie, “The Interview.” In the film, actors Seth Rogen and James Franco play characters who would murder North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. The cybercriminals threatened that they should immediately stop showing movies that encouraged terrorism, or they would launch 9/11-style attacks on American theatres.
5. The Frightening Story of Kevin Poulsen
In 1990, there was a prize giveaway by LA KIIS FM to give a Porsche 944 S2 to the 102nd caller. After indulging in Porsche’s greed and prize money of $20000, 17-year-old Kevin Poulsen decided to make some mischief.
In April 1991, Kevin Poulsen was arrested on a five-year sentence. He was also banned from using the computer three years after his release. He broke into the phone network and blocked all incoming calls to the radio station’s phone number. When the FBI discovered his cyberattacks, he went underground as a fugitive. After getting released. Kevin retorted to the path of white hat hacking and has been working as a journalist.
6. Felonies of Michael Calce
Michael Calce, also known as MafiaBoy, wreaked havoc in cyberspace in February 2000 by bringing down some of the world’s most renowned commercial websites like Yahoo, Dell, eBay, CNN, and Amazon.
The cyberattacks comprised DDoS attacks that overwhelmed corporate servers and created website crashes. Michael Calce’s attacks were estimated to cause a jaw-dropping loss of about $1.2 billion. As a teenager, he was sentenced to eight months of open custody by the Montreal Youth Court and restricted from using the internet.
7. Notorious Cybercriminals: Gary McKinnon
Black hat hacker Gary McKinnon has been alleged to be the most extensive military hacker of all time. From February 2001 to March 2002, he broke into 97 US military and NASA computers under “solo.”
According to a report from US authorities, his crimes created estimated damage of US$700000, from deleting critical files and weapon logs to copying personal data files into his computer.
8. The Data Breach of Yahoo
The American Web Services provider Yahoo made history with the confirmation of 500 million accounts being exposed in September 2016. However, this cyberattack included the revelation of personal information along with financial and banking data.
Cybercriminals can authenticate accounts without using passwords when they use cookies, according to the SEC filing of November 2016. Also, according to Yahoo, this attack was carried out by a government-appointed black hat hacker group. They did not specify any country. The investigators are still on the move.
9. The Deadly Morris Worm
The Morris Worm of November 2, 1988, was one of the first worms transmitted across the internet from the computer system of MIT.
Though Robert Tappan Morris, the worm’s creator. I did not intend it to be destructive. An unintentional error caused the worm to morph into a deadly virus code that replicated and infected rapidly. As a result, it has caused cyber attacks on around 6000 computers, creating damages of about $100,000 to $10,000,000.
On the other hand, Morris is now sometimes also entitled the “Great Worm.” It is because of the destruction it caused to the internet during that time. As a result, Cybercriminal Morris was sentenced to three years probation and a total fine of $13,326 for his felony.
The Bottom Lines
Cybercrimes and phishing attacks still dominate our newspaper headlines today. However, it is an inevitable truth that some people will always be on the dark side of development with malignant intentions. Therefore, vigilance and caution are our ultimate weapons against these cyberattacks.
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