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Four Hackers Steal $100M in Gaming Tech, Helicopter Software
Four members of an international computer hacking ring have been charged with breaking into computer networks of prominent technology companies and the U.S. Army, stealing over $100 million in intellectual property and other proprietary data.
According to the indictment, Nathan Leroux, 20, of Bowie, Maryland; Sanadodeh Nesheiwat, 28, of Washington, New Jersey; David Pokora, 22, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; and Austin Alcala, 18, of McCordsville, Indiana, hacked into the computer networks of Microsoft Corporation, Epic Games Inc., Valve Corporation, Zombie Studios and the U.S. Army.
The hackers, who were charged in an 18-count superseding indictment, stole unreleased software, software source code, trade secrets, copyrighted and pre-release works and other confidential and proprietary information. The data cyber-theft allegedly included source code, technical specifications and related information for Microsoft’s then-unreleased Xbox One gaming console and intellectual property and proprietary data related to Xbox Live online gaming system.
The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracies to commit computer fraud, copyright infringement, wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft and theft of trade secrets. The defendants are also charged with individual counts of aggravated identity theft, unauthorized computer access, copyright infringement and wire fraud.
Two of the defendants, Pokora and Nesheiwat, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and copyright infringement and are scheduled for sentencing on January 13, 2015. Pokora’s plea is believed to be the first conviction of a foreign-based individual for hacking into U.S. businesses to steal trade secret information.
The cyber theft also included software and data related to popular games such as ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ and ‘Gears of War 3’, as well as proprietary software used to train military helicopter pilots.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell said, ‘As the indictment charges, the members of this international hacking ring stole trade secret data used in high-tech American products, ranging from software that trains U.S. soldiers to fly Apache helicopters to Xbox games that entertain millions around the world.’
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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