[BreachExchange] MN man charged with hiring hackers to sabotage former employer

[Destry Winant]

http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/MN-man-charged-with-hiring-hackers-to-sabotage-former-employer-456107533.html

In the first Minnesota case to address a new and growing form of
cybercrime, federal prosecutors have charged a man with paying
computer hackers to sabotage websites affiliated with his former
employer.

The FBI says the case represents a growing form of cybercrime in which
professional hackers are paid to inflict damage on individuals,
businesses and others who rely on digital devices connected to the
web.

Prosecutors say 46-year-old John Kelsey Gammell hired hackers to bring
down Washburn Computer Group in in Monticello, but also made monthly
payments between July 2015 and September 2016 to damage web networks
connected to the Minnesota Judicial Branch, Hennepin County and
several banks.

The Star Tribune reports Gammell's attorney, Rachel Paulose, has
argued her client didn't personally attack Washburn. Paulose has asked
a federal magistrate to throw out evidence the FBI obtained from an
unnamed researcher because that data could have been obtained by
hacking.

"The government has failed to charge a single one of those 'cyber hit
men' services, named and evidently well known to the government,"
Paulose said. "Instead the government's neglect has allowed the
professional cyber hit men for hire to skip off merrily into the
night."

The Washburn attacks were "essentially a prank on a dormant site not
doing business," Paulose said.

"As a society that is increasingly reliant on network-connected
devices, these types of cyberattacks pose a serious threat to
individuals, businesses, and even our nation's critical
infrastructure," said acting U.S. Attorney Gregory Brooker in
Minneapolis.

State networks get an average of more than 3 million attempted
cyberattacks daily, according to Minnesota IT Services, which
administers the state's computer systems.

"A lot of people think it's just a nuisance," said Chris Buse,
Minnesota's chief information security officer. "But it's not. If you
look at what government does — basic critical services — if those
services don't continue, people can literally die."