Hacker Artek arrested today in Udine, Italy

Mar 30, 2016 21:55 GMT  ·  By

Today, Italian police arrested a sixteen-year-old boy from Udine, on the suspicion of being the leader of an Anonymous campaign named #OpSafePharma.

Because the suspect is still a minor, Italian police have not released his name, but revealed that in hacking circles he went by the nickname of Artek.

There is scarce information online about #OpSafePharma, but the official communique released by Italian authorities says it was a series of attacks against the Italian Ministry of Health for its stance on ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).

Attacks in the #OpSafePharma campaign started on March 16, 2016, and Italy's Postal and Communications Police service say that from the beginning, the National Centre for Crime for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure (CNAIPIC) was able to detect and track all attacks, eventually leading them back to Artek's home.

The sixteen-year-old, who associated with the Anonymous online hacktivism movement, carried out a series of DDoS attacks against the Ministry of Health, the Higher Institute of Health, and numerous local health authorities.

Artek also used SQL injection vulnerabilities in the databases of AIFA (Associazione Italiana Famiglie ADHD / Italian Association of ADHD Families) and the Italian Red Cross branch. He later published data stolen from these databases online.

Italian police arrested Artek at his home today, and also executed search warrants, seizing his computer equipment, which police reported as being encrypted.