Joseph James O’Connor, a 23-year-old British man, has pleaded guilty to his involvement in hacking schemes targeting high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of former President Barack Obama and tech mogul Elon Musk. O’Connor, who was extradited from Spain after being arrested nearly two years ago, admitted to his crimes in a New York court earlier this week.
In addition to the Twitter breaches, O’Connor’s hacking group utilized SIM card swaps to gain unauthorized access to various social media accounts, including those of TikTok star Addison Rae and actress Bella Thorne. The group also used this method to steal $794,000 worth of virtual currency from a cryptocurrency company in New York.
Known as “PlugwalkJoe” online, O’Connor now faces charges of computer intrusion, extortion, stalking, wire fraud, and money laundering, which could result in a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Mike Parkin, a senior technical engineer at Vulcan Cyber, believes that while this conviction is a step in the right direction, it may only serve as a minor deterrent to cyber-criminals in Western countries. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on preventing cybercrimes through better cybersecurity measures rather than solely relying on investigations and prosecutions after the fact.
This conviction follows the recent success of UK law enforcement in dismantling a significant money laundering operation, with the final three members of the gang being sentenced in March.
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