14 DAY TRIAL // The New Jersey US Attorney’s Office has revealed the fact that 28-year-old Lauri Love, of Stradishall, England, has been arrested and charged with hacking into computer systems from the United States and other countries, including ones belonging to federal agencies.
Love was arrested at his residence on October 25 by the UK National Crime Agency’s Cyber Crime Unit.
US authorities accuse the man of hacking into the systems of the Army, the Missile Defense Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA, causing damage of millions of dollars.
“According to the indictment, Lauri Love and conspirators hacked into thousands of networks, including many belonging to the United States military and other government agencies,” stated US Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
“As part of their alleged scheme, they stole military data and personal identifying information belonging to servicemen and women. Such conduct endangers the security of our country and is an affront to those who serve.”
Investigators believe that Love and his co-conspirators hacked into thousands of systems, planting backdoors that allowed them to return at a later date and steal sensitive information, including the personal details of thousands of individuals.
They exploited SQL injection and ColdFusion vulnerabilities in order to gain access to the data. To hide their tracks, they used proxies and the TOR anonymity network. The attacks were planned on IRC channels.
The attacks are said to have taken place between October 2012 and October 2013. The US Department of Justice provides a timeline of the intrusions (see screenshot).
Love has been charged with one count of accessing a US department or agency computer without authorization and one count of conspiracy to access a US department or agency computer without authorization. He could get five years in prison for each count.
“Computer intrusions present significant risks to national security and our military operations,” noted Daniel Andrews, director of the US. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Computer Crime Investigative Unit.
“The borderless nature of Internet-based crime underscores the need for robust law enforcement alliances across the globe. We appreciate the bilateral support of the National Crime Agency in bringing cyber criminals to justice.”