Author of record-setting IoT botnets pleads guilty
He kept working on new botnets (and swatting a co-conspirator-cum-competitor) while indicted and on supervised release. Continue reading Author of record-setting IoT botnets pleads guilty
Category Archives: swatting
‘Satori’ IoT Botnet Operator Pleads Guilty
A 21-year-old man from Vancouver, Wash. has pleaded guilty to federal hacking charges tied to his role in operating the “Satori” botnet, a crime machine powered by hacked Internet of Things (IoT) devices that was built to conduct massive denial-of-service attacks targeting Internet service providers, online gaming platforms and Web hosting companies. Continue reading ‘Satori’ IoT Botnet Operator Pleads Guilty
Fortnite World Cup champion and family swatted while live streaming
“They come in with guns, bro. They literally pulled up, holy sh*t.” Continue reading Fortnite World Cup champion and family swatted while live streaming
Man Behind Fatal ‘Swatting’ Gets 20 Years
Tyler Barriss, a 26-year-old California man who admitted making a phony emergency call to police in late 2017 that led to the shooting death of an innocent Kansas resident, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Continue reading Man Behind Fatal ‘Swatting’ Gets 20 Years
Smashing Security #117: SWATs on a plane
Why is Tampa’s mayor tweeting about blowing up the airport? Are hackers trying to connect with you via LinkedIn? And has Maria succeeded in her attempt to survive February without Facebook?
All this and much much more in the latest edition of the “Smas… Continue reading Smashing Security #117: SWATs on a plane
Three Charged for Working With Serial Swatter
The Justice Department has filed criminal charges against three U.S. men accused of swatting, or making hoax reports of bomb threats or murders in a bid to trigger a heavily armed police response to a target’s address. Investigators say the men, aged 19 to 23, all carried out the attacks with the help of Tyler Barriss, a convicted serial swatter whose last stunt in late 2018 cost an Oklahoma man his life.
FBI agents on Wednesday arrested Neal Patel, 23, of Des Plaines, Ill. and Tyler Stewart, 19 of Gulf Breeze, Fla. The third defendant, Logan Patten, 19, of Greenwood, Mo., agreed to turn himself in. The men are charged in three separate indictments with conspiracy and conveying false information about the use of explosive devices. Continue reading Three Charged for Working With Serial Swatter
Facebook exec gets SWATted
The imposter claimed to be the Facebook exec and said he’d shot his wife, tied up his kids and planted pipe bombs “all over the place.” Continue reading Facebook exec gets SWATted
Serial Swatter and Stalker Mir Islam Arrested for Allegedly Dumping Body in River
A 22-year-old man convicted of cyberstalking and carrying out numerous bomb threats and swatting attacks — including a 2013 swatting incident at my home — was arrested Sunday morning in the Philippines after allegedly helping a friend dump the body o… Continue reading Serial Swatter and Stalker Mir Islam Arrested for Allegedly Dumping Body in River
Teen SWATter who had 400 schools evacuated lands 3 years in jail
George Duke-Cohan is the British teen who posed as a worried father whose daughter had called him mid-flight during a hijacking.
Continue reading Teen SWATter who had 400 schools evacuated lands 3 years in jail
Calif. Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal Swatting Case, Faces 20+ Years in Prison
A California man who pleaded guilty Tuesday to causing dozens of swatting attacks — including a deadly incident in Kansas last year — now faces 20 or more years in prison. Continue reading Calif. Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal Swatting Case, Faces 20+ Years in Prison