Person Arrested and Sentenced to 20 Months Imprisonment for Illegally Accessing Multiple Accounts
Hacktivist Al-Tahery Al-Mashriky Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison
Al-Tahery Al-Mashriky, a 26-year-old man from Rotherham, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for hacktivism-related offenses. The sentencing took place at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday.
Al-Mashriky pleaded guilty to nine Computer Misuse Act offenses on March 17, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The investigation was initiated after US investigators provided a tip-off to the NCA.
According to the NCA, Al-Mashriky downloaded tools to scan for usernames and vulnerabilities after hacking several sites, including the Yemen Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Yemen Ministry of Security Media, and Israeli Live News. His offenses were not limited to low-level web defacements but also involved unauthorized access and defacement of official websites.
Al-Mashriky claimed to have compromised approximately 3000 websites in a three-month period in 2022. His actions caused significant disruption to the targeted websites' users and organizations.
Personal data of over four million Facebook users was found on one of Al-Mashriky's laptops. Furthermore, usernames and passwords for services like Netflix and Paypal were also discovered. Al-Mashriky's actions hinted at a more serious plan to commit large-scale identity fraud or potentially sell the data.
Al-Mashriky's activities were associated with hacktivist groups such as the Yemen Cyber Army. His actions were motivated by the political and ideological views of this group.
The NCA has the technical capability to pursue and identify offenders like Al-Mashriky and bring them to justice. Al-Mashriky was arrested in 2022 by the NCA officers.
No further details about Middle East threats mentioned in a separate article ("Read more on Middle East threats: Iranian Hackers Target Israel and US to Sway Public Opinion in Hamas Conflict") are relevant to the facts extracted from this paragraph.
It is important to note that hacktivism, while often driven by political or ideological motives, can have severe consequences for individuals and organizations. The NCA urges everyone to take necessary precautions to protect their online data and personal information.
