The charges include conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and wire fraud, accessing protected computers to obtain information, and selling stolen data.
A British man has been charged in the US for allegedly leading a global hacking group behind a string of high-profile cyber-attacks.
Kai West, 25, is accused of operating under the alias “IntelBroker” and heading a group referred to as “CyberN[––––––]” by the US Department of Justice. The group is alleged to have targeted telecommunications firms, healthcare providers, internet service providers and more than 40 other organisations worldwide.
An indictment unsealed by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York claims West ran a years-long hacking and data theft campaign, resulting in over $25 million (£18.2 million) in losses for victims, according to media reports.
The charges include conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and wire fraud, accessing protected computers to obtain information, and selling stolen data. If convicted, West faces up to 20 years in prison.
West was arrested in France in February alongside four other unnamed individuals; US authorities are now seeking his extradition. FBI officials said West had allegedly offered stolen data for sale at least 41 times and distributed hacked information for free or in exchange for criminal forum credits on more than 100 occasions. Prosecutors say he and his co-conspirators aimed to profit by at least $2 million (£1.4 million) through the sale of stolen information.
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
