- Регистрация
- 17 Февраль 2018
- Сообщения
- 40 832
- Лучшие ответы
- 0
- Реакции
- 0
- Баллы
- 8 093
Offline
Defendants were convicted of similar crimes a decade ago. How were they cleared again?
Hand recovering folder with the word "confidential" from a file cabinet. Credit: Getty Images
Two sibling contractors convicted a decade ago for hacking into US State Department systems have once again been charged, this time for a comically hamfisted attempt to steal and destroy government records just minutes after being fired from their contractor jobs.
The Department of Justice on Thursday said that Muneeb Akhter and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, of Alexandria, Virginia, deleted databases and documents maintained and belonging to three government agencies. The brothers were federal contractors working for an undisclosed company in Washington, DC, that provides software and services to 45 US agencies. Prosecutors said the men coordinated the crimes and began carrying them out just minutes after being fired.
Using AI to cover up an alleged crime—what could go wrong?
On February 18 at roughly 4:55 pm, the men were fired from the company, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday. Five minutes later, they allegedly began trying to access their employer’s system and access federal government databases. By then, access to one of the brothers’ accounts had already been terminated. The other brother, however, allegedly accessed a government agency’s database stored on the employer’s server and issued commands to prevent other users from connecting or making changes to the database. Then, prosecutors said, he issued a command to delete 96 databases, many of which contained sensitive investigative files and records related to Freedom of Information Act matters.
Despite their brazen attempt to steal and destroy information from multiple government agencies, the men lacked knowledge of the database commands needed to cover up their alleged crimes. So they allegedly did what many amateurs do: turned to an AI chat tool.
One minute after deleting Department of Homeland Security information, Muneep Akhter allegedly asked an AI tool “how do i clear system logs from SQL servers after deleting databases.” Shortly afterward, he queried the tool “how do you clear all event and application logs from Microsoft windows server 2012,” prosecutors said.
The indictment provides enough details of the databases wiped and information stolen to indicate that the brothers’ attempts to cover their tracks failed. It’s unclear whether the apparent failure was due to the AI tool providing inadequate instructions or the men failing to follow them correctly. Prosecutors say they also obtained records of discussions between the men in the hours or days following, in which they discussed removing incriminating evidence from their homes. Three days later, the men allegedly wiped their employer-issued laptops by reinstalling the operating system.
The alleged incident isn’t the first time the men have faced charges of hacking government systems and stealing documents. In 2015, they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hack into the State Department and a private company. They stole “sensitive passport and visa information” and personal information belonging to dozens of co-workers. They later tried to install an electronic collection device inside a State Department building so they could maintain persistent access to State Department systems.
Later, Muneeb Akhter hacked into a database maintained by a data aggregation company that employed him. He then stole information that would help win contracts and clients for a tech company they owned. He also planted code inside the employers’ servers that caused them to cast votes for him in an online contest. Muneeb Akhter received a sentence of 39 months in prison and Sohaib Akhter was sentenced to 24 months. Each was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.
The indictment unsealed Thursday charges Muneeb Akhter with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of US government records, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Sohaib Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records and computer fraud, for trafficking passwords.
If convicted, Muneeb Akhter faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft count and a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison on the remaining charges. If convicted, Sohaib Akhter faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
The allegations, if true, read like a comedy of errors. It’s hard to fathom a justification for the brothers receiving clearances and landing jobs at a government contractor company with access to sensitive information. The employers’ alleged failure to confiscate the laptops and to immediately disconnect the brothers’ work accounts upon termination also appears to indicate a lack of basic operational security on the part of the company. Possibly most astonishing, why did Muneep Akhter want to wipe a machine running Windows Server 12, an OS that hasn’t supported in more than two years?
And last, if the allegations are true, the reliance on AI to make up for a lack of database and laptop skills necessary to cover up such an audacious act qualifies each for an inept criminal of the year award.
Hand recovering folder with the word "confidential" from a file cabinet. Credit: Getty Images
Two sibling contractors convicted a decade ago for hacking into US State Department systems have once again been charged, this time for a comically hamfisted attempt to steal and destroy government records just minutes after being fired from their contractor jobs.
The Department of Justice on Thursday said that Muneeb Akhter and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, of Alexandria, Virginia, deleted databases and documents maintained and belonging to three government agencies. The brothers were federal contractors working for an undisclosed company in Washington, DC, that provides software and services to 45 US agencies. Prosecutors said the men coordinated the crimes and began carrying them out just minutes after being fired.
Using AI to cover up an alleged crime—what could go wrong?
On February 18 at roughly 4:55 pm, the men were fired from the company, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday. Five minutes later, they allegedly began trying to access their employer’s system and access federal government databases. By then, access to one of the brothers’ accounts had already been terminated. The other brother, however, allegedly accessed a government agency’s database stored on the employer’s server and issued commands to prevent other users from connecting or making changes to the database. Then, prosecutors said, he issued a command to delete 96 databases, many of which contained sensitive investigative files and records related to Freedom of Information Act matters.
Despite their brazen attempt to steal and destroy information from multiple government agencies, the men lacked knowledge of the database commands needed to cover up their alleged crimes. So they allegedly did what many amateurs do: turned to an AI chat tool.
One minute after deleting Department of Homeland Security information, Muneep Akhter allegedly asked an AI tool “how do i clear system logs from SQL servers after deleting databases.” Shortly afterward, he queried the tool “how do you clear all event and application logs from Microsoft windows server 2012,” prosecutors said.
The indictment provides enough details of the databases wiped and information stolen to indicate that the brothers’ attempts to cover their tracks failed. It’s unclear whether the apparent failure was due to the AI tool providing inadequate instructions or the men failing to follow them correctly. Prosecutors say they also obtained records of discussions between the men in the hours or days following, in which they discussed removing incriminating evidence from their homes. Three days later, the men allegedly wiped their employer-issued laptops by reinstalling the operating system.
The alleged incident isn’t the first time the men have faced charges of hacking government systems and stealing documents. In 2015, they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hack into the State Department and a private company. They stole “sensitive passport and visa information” and personal information belonging to dozens of co-workers. They later tried to install an electronic collection device inside a State Department building so they could maintain persistent access to State Department systems.
Later, Muneeb Akhter hacked into a database maintained by a data aggregation company that employed him. He then stole information that would help win contracts and clients for a tech company they owned. He also planted code inside the employers’ servers that caused them to cast votes for him in an online contest. Muneeb Akhter received a sentence of 39 months in prison and Sohaib Akhter was sentenced to 24 months. Each was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.
The indictment unsealed Thursday charges Muneeb Akhter with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of US government records, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Sohaib Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records and computer fraud, for trafficking passwords.
If convicted, Muneeb Akhter faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft count and a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison on the remaining charges. If convicted, Sohaib Akhter faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
The allegations, if true, read like a comedy of errors. It’s hard to fathom a justification for the brothers receiving clearances and landing jobs at a government contractor company with access to sensitive information. The employers’ alleged failure to confiscate the laptops and to immediately disconnect the brothers’ work accounts upon termination also appears to indicate a lack of basic operational security on the part of the company. Possibly most astonishing, why did Muneep Akhter want to wipe a machine running Windows Server 12, an OS that hasn’t supported in more than two years?
And last, if the allegations are true, the reliance on AI to make up for a lack of database and laptop skills necessary to cover up such an audacious act qualifies each for an inept criminal of the year award.
