Tag Archive for: Teen

Madison teen, accused in Memorial bomb threats, now charged in New York with hacking a sports betting website

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A Madison teen who still faces felony charges over bomb threats made at Memorial High School last year was arrested Thursday and charged by federal authorities in New York City with hacking an online sports betting website, which had user accounts that were then plundered.

The charges filed on Monday against Joseph H. Garrison, 18, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York allege that in November — about three months after Garrison was charged and released for the Memorial threats — he launched what authorities called a “credential stuffing attack” to find username and password combinations, gleaned from sources on the “dark web,” that would work on other websites where users used the same username-password combinations.

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That included the fantasy sports and sports betting website, which was not identified by name in the complaint.

He then sold the working combinations to buyers on the internet, according to a criminal complaint, and provided detailed instructions on how to use them on the betting site. The buyers used them to steal about $600,000 from the site’s user accounts, the complaint states.

In todays world, its high tech versus high crime. Police work like dusting for prints is now supplemented with point and click. 


A credential stuffing attack uses a computer program to rapidly attempt to log into financial accounts using a list of known username-password combinations to search for working logins. 

Buyers took money from about 1,600 of the site’s 60,000 accounts that were accessed using the stolen credentials, the complaint states.

Intruders were able to clear out an individual user account by setting up a new payment method and depositing $5 into the account to verify it, then withdrawing the account’s balance through that new payment method, the complaint states.

Investigators identified Garrison as the person who carried out…

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Teen fined by airline over ridiculous clothing baggage hack

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This “runway” attire wasn’t going to fly.

Another day, another traveler with a bold new way to game the luggage fine system. An Australian teen was slapped with a fine after attempting to circumvent an airline baggage fee — by donning more than 13 pounds of clothing, as seen in a video blowing up online.

“I looked like a bear. I’m small and petite but I looked like the exact opposite,” Adriana Ocampo, 19, told South West News Service of her backfired travel hack, which she attempted to pull during a Jetstar Airways flight from Melbourne to her hometown of Adelaide.

The teen, who had just been on a girls’ trip with pal Emily Altamura, also 19, said she knew her luggage was over the airline’s 15-pound limit after she could “barely close” her bag in the hotel room.

Nonetheless, the duo schlepped their oversize load to the airport in the hopes that the crew wouldn’t have time to check — which proved not to be the case.

“When we went to board, we saw them pulling out a trolley with a scale,” rued Ocampo.


Adriana Ocampo.
“They said the fine was $65 and we didn’t feel like spending $65 so we went back and put more clothes on,” said Adriana Ocampo.
Kennedy News & Media

Adriana Ocampo and her friend Emily Atalmura.
Ocampo (right) and her friend, Emily Altamura.
Kennedy News & Media

That’s when she got an unorthodox idea.

“We thought the only way we can take the weight off our bags is if we put it on ourselves so we started putting on our jackets and coats,” said the gal, who was forced to do this routine a second time because her bag was still over the limit.

In the aforementioned footage, the Aussie can be seen laughing hysterically as she yanks all her clothing out of the suitcase and dons it until she’s wearing 15 different things, including an iPad stuffed in her pants.

Her friend, meanwhile, follows suit, until the two resemble Ralphie’s jacket-swaddled little brother from “A Christmas Story.”

“As well as layers of jackets and jumpers, I had baggy trousers on and I was stuffing t-shirts and my iPad in them,” described the human garment rack. “I had about six layers on and stuff in my pockets.”


Ocampo with an iPad stuffed in her pants.
Ocampo with an iPad stuffed in her…

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Teen hacker arrested in Spain following daring cyberattacks

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What just happened? Police in Spain have arrested a teenager named José Luis Huertas who they claim stole confidential data on more than half a million taxpayers from the national revenue service. The 19-year-old, who is known by multiple aliases including ‘Alcaseca,’ Mango,’ and ‘chimichurri,’ is also believed to be behind multiple other high-profile cyberattacks.

Policia Nacional said Huertas is one of the most dangerous hackers in the country, and is responsible for creating a search engine called ‘Udyat’ (‘The Eye of the Horus’) to facilitate the selling of stolen data. In an online interview, he also claimed to have access to the personal data of more than 90 percent of the Spanish population.

The leaked data reportedly includes account numbers, bank balances, and other private and confidential information of Spanish citizens. Authorities believe Huertas would have used the stolen data to create an online database and sold it to third parties for a profit. According to investigators, much of his illegal activity was monetized through cryptocurrencies.

Huertas is described as a ‘serious’ national security threat by the Spanish police due to the magnitude of his cyberattacks and the sensitivity of the data he stole. He is said to be an expert in crypto assets and hiding the money trail with complex digital maneuvers meant to throw investigators off his scent.

According to Bleeping Computer, Huertas is also accused of stealing €300,000 from Paolo Vasile, the CEO of Gestevisión Telecinco/Mediaset España. Other charges against him include attacking high-state institutions and money laundering.

His arrest was the result of an investigation that started in November 2022 after he allegedly hacked into the computer network of the General Council of the Judiciary and accessed sensitive data controlled by several public institutions, including the State Tax Administration Agency.

Huertas is said to have lived a life of luxury that the police say is not commensurate with his age, especially for someone without a steady source of income. He allegedly made expensive trips, wore luxury labels, frequented fashionable entertainment venues, and even drove a…

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Prolific Spanish Teen Hacking Suspect Arrested

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Spanish police have arrested a 19-year-old who they claim represents a national security threat due to the magnitude of the cyber-attacks he has conducted.

An investigation into Jose Luis Huertas (aka “Alcasec”) began after he allegedly hacked the national council of the judiciary (CGPJ) and tax agency, and stole data on over half a million Spaniards.

The individual subsequently created a database filled with this information, including personal data and bank account numbers, for onward sale to cyber-criminals, according to the Spanish National Police (Policia Nacional).

Huertas is also accused of building a de facto search engine – dubbed “Udyat,” or the “Eye of Horus” – to sell large volumes of stolen data.

Read more on teenaged hackers: UK Teen Arrested on Computer Misuse Charges.

The teen even boasted in a YouTube video of having access to the personal data of 90% of Spaniards, according to the police. Although the figure may have been an exaggeration, the Policia National claimed that the volume of data stolen by Huertas was so significant that it made him a threat to national security.

Officers claimed that he led a life of luxury funded by this cyber-criminality, including going on expensive holidays, visiting high-end restaurants and wearing luxury brands.

Huertas allegedly laundered the proceeds of crime through cryptocurrency mixer services, although specialist investigators were still able to trace some of the funds.

When officers searched Huertas’s home and other premises, they seized a large volume of cash, documents, digital media, a motorcycle and a high-end vehicle.

Teenaged cyber-criminals are more common than one might suspect. Last year two British teenagers were charged with hacking offenses in relation to the infamous Lapsus$ extortion group. A teenager was also behind the much-publicized 2015 TalkTalk data breach.

Last year the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) claimed that children as young as nine have been able to launch DDoS attacks thanks to readily available online services.

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