A former US Navy IT manager, Marquis Hooper, received a prison of five years and five months after being found guilty of illegally obtaining personal information of American citizens and selling it on the dark web.
The man was first charged (along with his wife, Natasha Renee Chalk) in February 2021, but pleaded guilty in March 2023.
According to the indictment, Hooper opened an online account with a company that maintains a database of personal information on millions of people in August 2018.
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The service, which has not been named, is used by legitimate businesses and government entities that need legal access to perform background checks and verify identities.
Hooper falsely claimed that the Seventh Fleet, which he served as chief petty officer until October 2018, was requesting access to this database for some audit related to Navy personnel.
He then allowed his wife to access the account, and she helped him search the massive database to find valuable personal information. In fact, they did this for the next 2.5 months.
Indeed, they managed to illegally obtain the personal information of 9,000 people and then sold the data on the dark web, receiving payments in crypto.
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In many cases, these details were used by cybercriminals for forgery and bank fraud.
According to the US Department of Justice: “An individual used the personal information to create a fake driver’s license and then attempted to withdraw money from the victim.”
In December 2018, the account Hooper was using to steal people's personal information was shut down due to suspicions of fraud.
Hooper then hired an anonymous collaborator to regain access to the database .However, stricter verification procedures and prevented the individual from completing the task.
The former Navy IT manager tried to provide fake Navy officer credentials and a letter purporting to be signed by the commander. The associate submitted them to the database company, but the account was still rejected.
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Chalk currently faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000 and is scheduled to hear her sentence on November 20, 2023.
Using the dark web for illegal activities
The former Navy IT manager and his wife used the Dark Web to sell the stolen data. The Dark Web is a place where criminals engage in illegal transactions for goods and services, such as marketplaces and forums.
Some of the illegal products traded on these black markets include:
Personal data: Full names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, email addresses.
Financial data: Stolen credit card information, usernames and passwords, account credentials, bank and insurance records.
Internet login data: Usernames and passwords from social media to video sharing and streaming services and paid professional services.
Medical data: Medical history, prescriptions, biometric data, test results, billing information, and other sensitive details.
Confidential corporate data: Intellectual property, patents, competitive information and other business details.
Fake IDs: Fake passports, stolen driver's licenses and IDs, bank checks, and more.
Given its anonymous nature, the Dark Web is also used for even more illicit purposes. Its forums are known for buying and selling illegal weapons, drug trafficking, and pornographic content. The dark web also includes illegal child pornography sites that are only accessible through hidden links.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
