An alleged co-founder of the on-line hacker motion Nameless has been taken into custody after a 2021 knowledge breach focusing on the Texas Republican Get together.
Aubrey Cottle, a 37-year-old Canadian nationwide, is understood professionally as “Kirtaner.”
The U.S. Division of Justice (DOJ) charged Cottle with hacking into the Texas Republican Get together’s internet server and stealing delicate knowledge in 2021.
Cottle was arrested in Canada Wednesday, and authorities there are pursuing further expenses beneath Canadian regulation, the DOJ mentioned.
In Texas, Cottle faces expenses of “unlawfully transferring, possessing or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law,” in keeping with a press launch.
The Texas state Capitol in Austin, Texas. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Pictures)
Cottle makes use of his LinkedIn profile to explain himself as a “Filthy blackhat but good boi.” The identical web page exhibits Cottle as one of many founders of Nameless, a decentralized hacker group aiming to breach governmental establishments in protest.
“Yes, that one,” Cottle wrote. “Hal Turner, Scientology, Guy Fawkes masks, you got it. Really. Google it.”
In line with a information launch from appearing U.S. Legal professional Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas, Cottle gained unauthorized entry to a third-party internet hosting firm known as “Epik” earlier than defacing the Texas GOP’s web site.
“Texas: Taking voices from women to promote theocratic erosion of church/state barriers,” the Nameless rewrite of the positioning’s touchdown web page mentioned. The banner of the web site was changed with cartoon characters, a pornographic picture and a music video.
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The identical launch alleges Cottle stole a backup of the web site’s server containing private figuring out info. The stolen knowledge was then posted on-line for public obtain. Prosecutors added Cottle even bragged concerning the breach on social media.
Cottle’s TikTok web page’s bio says “that Anonymous founder hacker guy you probably saw in the news or Vice or sumthn.”
The Division of Justice seal throughout a information convention on the DOJ workplace in Washington Could 16, 2023. (AP Picture/Jose Luis Magana)
In line with the DOJ, knowledge from the Texas Republican Get together leak was found in a search on Cottle’s private digital gadgets.
The Nameless group’s breach of the web site was allegedly pro-choice retaliation. In September 2021, the Lone Star State handed the Texas Heartbeat Act. Beneath the act, abortion is unlawful previous the purpose a fetal heartbeat may be detected, round 5 – 6 weeks of gestational age.
Cottle has additionally been linked to a “political doxing” knowledge breach of Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo in February 2022, after the platform hosted a fundraiser for the Canada Freedom Convoy. Names of donors, meant to stay personal and safe on the platform, have been publicized throughout the web.
Vehicles parked in Ottawa on the nineteenth day of the Freedom Convoy protest. (Fox Information Digital/Lisa Bennatan)
GiveSendGo founder Jacob Wells spoke with Fox Information Digital on the time of the breach.
“This is illegal, and these people should be going to jail. The FBI — I mean, it’s surprising that we haven’t heard from any investigative services. We will be reaching out ourselves to just see that there’s some investigation into this. This is completely unacceptable,” Wells mentioned.
GiveSendGo has a crowdfunding marketing campaign for Luigi Mangione, who’s accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.
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The FBI Austin Cyber Process Power is investigating Cottle’s case, and Assistant U.S. Legal professional G. Karthik Srinivasan is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Cottle faces a most penalty of 5 years in jail.
The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Western District of Texas didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
Fox Information Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
