Dutchman gets four years in prison for the theft of millions of personal data – IT Pro – News

A 21-year-old man from Zandvoort has been given a prison sentence of four years, of which one year is conditional, for hacking and extorting companies, and laundering more than one and a half million euros in cryptocurrency. During his hacks he stole personal data from millions of Dutch people.

The man hacked into multiple companies over the course of almost three years, stealing the data of millions of people, writes the court. He used that information, together with other confidential information, to extort the companies. As a result, the companies were in danger of not only suffering financial damage, but also reputational damage, the judge said. The companies transferred thousands to hundreds of thousands of euros in bitcoin. One of the companies paid $764,450. The suspect used phishing software during the hacking.

“The court blames the suspect for using his knowledge of the digital world to commit computer trespassing and to extort and threaten companies – some for a long time.” Threatening is a form of extortion that does not involve the threat of violence, but, for example, of revealing secrets. According to NU.nl he worked until his arrest in February this year at a cybersecurity company and he was a volunteer at the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure, or DIVD.

With his hacking activities and extortion, he, together with two co-suspects, collected more than one and a half million euros. That money was converted into different types of cryptocurrencies and mixed to launder the money. The Public Prosecution Service states that an additional €1 million was laundered, but according to the court there was insufficient evidence for this.

The judge sentences the man to four years in prison, of which one year is conditional. This conditional prison sentence has a probationary period of three years and is subject to conditions, such as a reporting obligation, daytime activities and cooperation in debt counseling. In sentencing, the court takes into account the man’s personal situation, including post-traumatic stress disorder, and the fact that he largely confessed to his involvement. In addition, the man must pay hundreds of thousands of euros in damages and other costs. The verdict is lower than the Public Prosecution Service’s demand; that was a six-year prison sentence. The lawsuits against the other suspects are still ongoing.