Two young Americans, Sagar Steven Singh (20 years old), also known as Weep, and Nicholas Seraolo (26 years old), nicknamed Ominous/Convict, have recently pleaded guilty to charges of computer hacking and theft of personal data. The duo had previously hacked into the protected portal of a Federal Law Enforcement agency.
According to the data released by the US Department of Justice (Doj), Singh and Seraolo utilized stolen accounting information to gain unauthorized access to a confidential portal, potentially compromising a significant amount of data. These allegations were first brought to light in March 2023.
Joint forces including representatives from the US Department of Homeland Security, National Security and Cybercrime Department of the Eastern District of New York Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI, and the New York Police conducted an investigation into the case.
Both defendants were part of the Vile cyber rescue group, a group that collected personal information and released it on a special website, demanding a ransom for data deletion. The group’s logo featured a disturbing image of a hanged girl.
As of now, the group’s website remains accessible, but the sinister logo has been replaced by a video featuring the song “La Rose des Vents” by French singer France Gall.
As reported by Brian Krebs in March 2023, one of the notable accomplishments of the accused hackers was gaining unauthorized access to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) portal, which provided entry to 16 different US law enforcement databases.
Prosecutors stated that Singh and Seraolo utilized a stolen password from a law enforcement officer to access an online portal containing drug records, surveillance reports, and details about currency seizures.
Singh even went as far as threatening harm to the victim’s family members if they did not provide him access to their Instagram accounts. This tactic, known as “Doxing,” can have severe consequences for individuals, including humiliation, harassment, and physical harm.
Both defendants were cogn