Brazilian Hacker Indicted for Extorting $3.2 Million in Bitcoin After Breaching 300,000 Accounts
A Brazilian national has been indicted in the United States on charges of extortion after allegedly hacking into a company’s network and stealing sensitive customer data in March 2020.
Junior Barros De Oliveira, a 29-year-old from Curitiba, Brazil, faces four counts of extortion and four counts of making threatening communications, according to an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) earlier this week.
The victim, a Brazilian subsidiary of a New Jersey-based company, reportedly suffered multiple breaches during which De Oliveira accessed and stole confidential data from approximately 300,000 customers.
In September 2020, the accused is said to have used an alias to contact the company’s CEO, demanding a ransom payment of 300 bitcoin—worth roughly $3.2 million at the time—in exchange for not selling the stolen data.
Cybersecurity Extortion Scheme
The following month, De Oliveira allegedly forwarded the ransom demand to both the CEO and an executive at the Brazilian subsidiary. In one subsequent message to a company representative, he claimed to be “very interested in helping you guys solve this security flaw” but demanded a “consulting fee” of 75 bitcoin (then valued at $800,000). Instructions for transferring the payment to a Bitcoin wallet were also provided.
Legal Consequences
If convicted, each of the four extortion charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or double the value of the loss or gain, whichever is greater. Similarly, each count of making threatening communications is punishable by up to two years in prison and the same fine structure.
