00:00Teen Hacker Accused of $115 Million Cybercrime Spree
00:04The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed charges against a 19-year-old British teenager, Thalha Joubert,
00:11accused of hacking like it was a full-time job.
00:14Prosecutors say he was behind at least 120 cyberattacks,
00:18including breaches at dozens of U.S. companies, the U.S. court system, and London's public transit network.
00:24Joubert and 18-year-old partner Owen Flowers were arrested earlier this week at his East London home.
00:30They already faced British charges for a 2024 hack that knocked transport for London's IT systems offline,
00:37forcing a painful, months-long cleanup.
00:40Authorities linked that attack to Scattered Spider,
00:43a hacking collective mostly comprising teenagers skilled in English and social engineering.
00:48Their favorite trick involves calling IT helpdesks, pretending to be forgetful employees,
00:53and sweet-talking their way into fresh passwords.
00:55The group earned the nickname Advanced Persistent Teenagers for good reason.
01:00According to federal charges filed in New Jersey,
01:03Joubert allegedly extorted dozens of U.S. companies out of more than $115 million in ransom payments.
01:10Evidence on servers tied him to break-ins, stolen data, and a crypto wallet containing $36 million.
01:16Among the most eyebrow-raising hacks, investigators say the hackers tricked helpdesk staff into handing over credentials to access the U.S. court system,
01:25using a magistrate judge's account to search for sealed indictments of fellow hackers.
01:30They even filed bogus emergency data requests, essentially cosplaying as federal officials.
01:36Extradition of Joubert to the U.S. remains uncertain.
01:40For now, both remain in British custody, representing a new era in cybercrime.
01:45Teenage hackers executing multi-million dollar heists.
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