US Indicts Two Canadians Accused of Hacking Universities for Crypto Mining
Summary
A federal grand jury indicted two Canadians over alleged malware infections, data and credential theft, and cryptocurrency mining on U.S. university networks. One was extradited; the other awaits extradition.
Key points
- Prosecutors allege Ryan James Roach and Mathiew James Stubbings targeted unnamed educational institutions in four states between June 2016 and December 2019.
- According to court documents, they used virtual private servers registered under fake names to deliver malware and mining software and store stolen credentials.
- The DOJ says the defendants allegedly stole data and credentials, deployed crypto-mining malware, and accessed university supercomputers.
- Prosecutors allege at least 10 computers were damaged over one year, causing losses of at least $5,000.
- Roach was extradited from Canada and arraigned; Stubbings is expected to be arraigned after extradition. Both face multiple computer-related charges.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Federal indictment for alleged intrusions into U.S. university networks
- Impact
- Prosecutors allege that Ryan James Roach and Mathiew James Stubbings compromised networks at multiple unnamed educational institutions, stole data and login credentials, and deployed cryptocurrency-mining malware. The DOJ said servers transmitted malware and mining software and stored stolen credentials. Prosecutors allege that at least 10 computers were damaged over one year, causing losses of at least $5,000. The defendants face charges related to obtaining information from and damaging protected computers; the article reports that the allegations have not been proven in court.
MITRE ATT&CK
Threat Actors
Mathiew James StubbingsA federal grand jury indicted Stubbings for allegedly participating in intrusions into university networks, stealing data and login credentials, and deploying cryptocurrency-mining malware. The allegations are not reported as proven in court.Ryan James RoachA federal grand jury indicted Roach for allegedly participating in intrusions into university networks, stealing data and login credentials, and deploying cryptocurrency-mining malware. The allegations are not reported as proven in court.
Countries
CanadaRoach was extradited from Canada to the United States on October 28 and was arraigned before a detention hearing on November 3.United States"Roach and Stubbings targeted educational institutions in the United States that had supercomputers and researched security vulnerabilities in the victim computer networks, using a variety of methods to gain access,