A Brazilian national has been indicted in the United States for cyber extortion after allegedly breaching a substantial number of user accounts and demanding a hefty ransom in Bitcoin.

Defendant

Junior Barros De Oliveira, aged 29, hailing from Curitiba, Brazil.

Indictment

Filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), the charges include four counts each for extortionate threats and threatening communications.

Incident

The accused reportedly infiltrated the digital infrastructure of a Brazilian unit of a New Jersey-based firm in March 2020.

Data Accessed

The hacker is said to have compromised sensitive information from approximately 300,000 customer accounts across at least three breaches.

Ransom Demand

De Oliveira allegedly reached out to the company's CEO in September 2020 under an alias, insisting on a Bitcoin payment of 300 coins, valued at $3.2 million, to prevent the sale of stolen data.

Subsequent Communications

In October 2020, the suspect reiterated the ransom demands to both the CEO and a senior executive at the Brazilian affiliate.

Additional Demands

A follow-up communication suggested a "security flaw consultation" fee of 75 Bitcoin (about $800,000 at the time), detailing how the payment should be transferred to a designated Bitcoin wallet.

Potential Sentences

Each count of extortionate threats potentially results in a 5-year prison sentence and fines of up to $250,000 or double the monetary impact involved.

Threatening Communications

These charges could see an additional prison sentence of up to 2 years per count, with similar financial penalties. This case underscores the ongoing challenges in combating cybercrime and protecting sensitive business data. For more insights and updates on the world of cybersecurity, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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