More Alleged SIM Swappers Face Justice
Summary: Federal prosecutors in Northern California unsealed indictments charging Ahmad Wagaafe Hared of Tucson and Matthew Gene Ditman of Las Vegas with SIM swapping between October 2016 and May 2018, allegedly bribing or tricking wireless provider representatives to seize victims' phone numbers for theft and extortion. The filings say the two stole roughly 40 bitcoins and that Hared used the nickname "winblo," tied to the ogusers forum, while a separate defendant, Joel Ortiz, pleaded to a 10-year term and Dawson Bakies pleaded not guilty to 52 counts.
What you should know: The attackers did not break encryption or exploit software; they called a Verizon employee line, obtained an account ID, then called customer service and had the password reset, which means the control that failed was the carrier's identity verification, not the victim's technology.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Data Breaches
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