A resident of Aidaho admitted to hacking a medical clinic and a police station with subsequent extortion.
Robert Pirbek, known for the Lifelock and Studmaster pseudonyms, was arrested on charges of cybercrime, committed from 2017 to 2018. By purchasing stolen accounts in the darknet, the attacker gained access to personal data of more than 130,000 people.
Pyrgysteus hacked the systems of a medical clinic in Gryffin, Georgia, and the police department in the neighboring city of Newman, and also attacked at least 17 more objects. Among the stolen data were police reports and documents containing personal information over 14,000 people.
The Prosecutor’s Office claimed that Pirbek also stole information from a medical clinic in Locust Grove, Georgia, and from an orthodontist in Florida, trying to blackmail the latter. He threatened to sell the personal data of the orthodontist’s minor child and sent threats to patients via email and text messages.
Before Pirbek’s arrest, using the Lifelock pseudonym, he communicated with the administration of the Databreaches.net website about hacking the Center for Eye Surgery in Holland, Michigan. Pirbek demanded a ransom from the clinic, and when the demand was not met, Lifelock asked the site administrator to inform the residents of Holland about the incident. As a result, the clinic disclosed the hacking two years after it occurred.
Pirbek is scheduled to be sentenced in June. As part of the plea deal, he will pay $1 million in compensation to the victims.