They stole simulation software for Apache helicopter training and sensitive information from the gaming industry

Oct 1, 2014 14:10 GMT  ·  By
Simulation software for training Apache helicopter pilots has also been stolen
   Simulation software for training Apache helicopter pilots has also been stolen

A number of four members of an international hacking ring, responsible for stealing sensitive information from the gaming industry and software for training Apache helicopter pilots, have been indicted; two of them have already pleaded guilty.

Three of the hackers are from the United States, while the fourth one, David Pokora, is a Canadian citizen and was arrested at the end of March while he was attempting to enter the US. They do not make the entire hacker group, and more are displaced across the United States, as well as in other countries.

Major game developers hacked

Aged between 18 and 28, the hackers are charged with stealing intellectual property worth more than $100 / €79.3 million from gaming companies developing games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Gears of War 3.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice, the accused found their way to the computer systems of Microsoft Corporation, Epic Games Inc., Valve Corporation and Zombie Studios and accessed source code for unreleased games, trade secrets and other confidential details, as well as financial data related to the companies.

Additionally, they used their computer skills to hack into US Army systems and steal Apache helicopter simulation software developed by Zombie Studios and used for training pilots.

It appears that SQL injection and use of stolen employee credentials were the main methods of compromise, and the spoils of the war have allegedly been discussed to be sold to interested parties.

Hackers did serious damage, would not go unpunished

The DoJ statement notes that the financial damage resulting from their activities is somewhere between $100 / €79.3 million and $200 / €158.8 million. However, the law enforcement managed to seize a total of only $620,000 / €492,000 “in cash and other proceeds related to the charged conduct.”

“Electronic breaking and entering of computer networks and the digital looting of identities and intellectual property have become much too common,” said U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III of the District of Delaware. “These are not harmless crimes, and those who commit them should not believe they are safely beyond our reach,” he added.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell noted that, as innovation is what powers the American economy, it has to be protected, and he expressed commitment to safeguarding the national assets from intruders trying to steal intellectual property, carrying their nefarious actions from the US or from abroad.