Join the Community

22,188
Expert opinions
44,252
Total members
405
New members (last 30 days)
212
New opinions (last 30 days)
28,727
Total comments

Criminal Hacker Gets 20

Albert Gonzalez and his gang of criminal hackers were responsible for data breaches in retailers and payment processors, with some estimates saying they breached over 230 million records combined. Gonzalez, considered a proficient criminal hacker, provided “dumps,” a term which refers to stolen credit card data, to “carders.” “Carders” are the people who buy, sell, and trade stolen credit card data online.

“Gonzalez and his hacking buddies hacked into computer systems and stole credit card information from TJX, Office Max, DSW and Dave and Buster’s, among other online retail outlets, in one of the largest — if not the largest — cybercrime operations targeting that sort of data thus far. They used some of the stolen numbers to remove cash from ATM machines and sold many of the other numbers to other criminals, including those in Eastern Europe.”

Gonzalez provided “sniffer” software used to intercept the credit and debit card numbers for the Russian hackers. Sniffer software or “malware” malicious software, acts like a virus attaching itself to a network and often spreading. The software allows the criminal hacker backdoor access to all the data in the server and provides remote control functionality.

Wired reports Gonzalez earned $75,000 a year working undercover for the U.S. Secret Service, informing on bank card thieves before he was arrested in 2008 for running his own multimillion-dollar card-hacking operation.

It was reported that Gonzalez buried a million dollars in the backyard of his parents’ Miami home. At one point he cracked and drew a map for investigators to find the money. WOW!

How many people in the course of history have actually dug a hole and buried a million bucks in it? I can’t wait to see the movie. I’d be happy playing a part in it. I’ll be the shovel.

Protect your identity.

External

This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author.

Join the Community

22,188
Expert opinions
44,252
Total members
405
New members (last 30 days)
212
New opinions (last 30 days)
28,727
Total comments

Trending

Boris Bialek

Boris Bialek Vice President and Field CTO, Industry Solutions at MongoDB

Enhancing Digital Banking Experiences with AI

Barley Laing

Barley Laing UK Managing Director at Melissa

Reducing the impact of AI-driven fraud in 2025

Now Hiring