Feds Charge British Hacker With Data Theft From The Federal Reserve

On Thursday, federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed an indictment charging Lauri Love, an alleged hacker and United Kingdom citizen, with hacking and aggravated identity theft.  The charges stem from allegations that, in October 2012, Love illegally accessed the Federal Reserve’s computers systems, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  After Love hacked into the servers, he located confidential information, including names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of users of the Federal Reserve computer system, and disseminated that information in a chat room on a website available to the public.  

The indictment details how Love and fellow hackers searched the internet for servers running a particular program with a vulnerability that would allow them to gain illegal access.  They learned that the Federal Reserve servers used the program which ultimately served as the vehicle for Love’s access to the Federal Reserve’s confidential information.  The indictment also claims that Love, using an alias, admitted in a chat room to the hacking of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and disclosed his ability to hack into the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Love now faces one count of computer hacking, carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years.  The indictment can be found here.