An Inside Look at the Secret Service’s Battle to Hobble the Hackers
(October 20, 2009) The August indictments of three individuals allegedly responsible for the theft of 130 million credit and debit card numbers in the Heartland Payment Systems Inc. data breach made headlines across the world. Yet little attention is paid to the laborious investigative work needed to track down the criminals behind these types of infiltrations into computer systems and wireless networks.
In the case of Heartland, the U.S. Secret Service first came across the alleged ringleader, Albert Gonzalez, in August 2008 while investigating data breaches dating back to 2004, according to Ken Jenkins, deputy special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service criminal investigation division. Jenkins’s office arrested Gonzalez in the Heartland case (Digital Transactions News, Aug. 18).
The Secret Service first linked Gonzalez to an earlier record payment card data breach at off-price retailer TJX Cos., and later tied him to the even larger breach at Heartland. (Gonzalez made a plea agreement on federal charges in New York and Boston related to the TJX and other hackings, but has pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in New Jersey to the Heartland-related charges.) But getting enough evidence to indict Gonzalez and other criminals operating so-called carder Web sites can take years of painstaking investigation, including the use of informants and undercover agents. (more)
In the case of Heartland, the U.S. Secret Service first came across the alleged ringleader, Albert Gonzalez, in August 2008 while investigating data breaches dating back to 2004, according to Ken Jenkins, deputy special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service criminal investigation division. Jenkins’s office arrested Gonzalez in the Heartland case (Digital Transactions News, Aug. 18).
The Secret Service first linked Gonzalez to an earlier record payment card data breach at off-price retailer TJX Cos., and later tied him to the even larger breach at Heartland. (Gonzalez made a plea agreement on federal charges in New York and Boston related to the TJX and other hackings, but has pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in New Jersey to the Heartland-related charges.) But getting enough evidence to indict Gonzalez and other criminals operating so-called carder Web sites can take years of painstaking investigation, including the use of informants and undercover agents. (more)
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