In a major win for cybersecurity, the United States has successfully extradited Joseph O’Connor, the U.K. national behind the infamous Twitter hack of 2020, to face multiple cybercrime charges in the country. Known by his online handle PlugWalkJoe, O’Connor has pleaded guilty to various offenses, such as orchestrating a sophisticated SIM swap attack to rob significant cryptocurrency accounts, hijacking Twitter and gaining control of social media accounts, and engaging in cyberstalking activities against two individuals, one of whom was a minor.
In 2020, a major Twitter hack occurred, where high-profile accounts were compromised and used to publicize a Bitcoin scam. Even though some accounts had multi-factor authentication, the attackers were still able to bypass it and steal around 11.3 BTC, which is equivalent to $103,960 in illicit gains. One of the accomplices involved in this case was Graham Ivan Clark, who was previously arrested and tried as an immature culprit.
The main suspect, Joseph O’Connor, who is only 23 years old, is also accused of conducting SIM-swapping attacks targeting prominent cryptocurrency industry executives. This led to the theft of digital assets worth $794,000. While the company targeted by O’Connor was not named by the Southern District of New York (SDNY), which brought the charges, it has been reported that numerous crypto companies have fallen victim to similar attacks, with targeted telecoms like AT&T and T-Mobile facing lawsuits over their lack of interior security measures.
Despite the challenges posed by the rapidly-evolving world of cybercrime, O’Connor’s extradition marks a significant victory for law enforcement. Moreover, it sends a strong message to those seeking to engage in malicious online activities. O’Connor is due to appear in court on June 23 for sentencing, where he will face a range of charges related to his cybercrimes, as stated by media reports.
