An Idaho man, known by his handles “Lifelock” and “Studmaster”, has openly admitted in court to charges of hacking into computers of the City of Newnan and a Griffin medical clinic, affecting over 132,000 people. The cyber culprit, Robert Purbeck, pled guilty to federal offenses of computer fraud and abuse, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
“Purbeck breached computer systems in our district and across the country, stole vast amounts of personal information, and aggravated his crimes by weaponizing sensitive data in an egregious attempt to extort his victims,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan stated, as per the press release. The hacker's fallout has been termed as posing a "grave risk" to the security of personal data by Buchanan. The FBI has vouched to unrelentingly pursue cybercriminals like Purbeck and ensure that they are held accountable under the law.
According to the details disclosed in court, Purbeck purchased unauthorized access to a medical clinic's server in Griffin, Georgia back in June 2017 via a darknet marketplace. He exploited this illicit passageway to purloin medical records and personal information of more than 43,000 individuals. Following that, in February 2018, the cyber bandit struck again, purchasing access to the City of Newnan Police Department server and filching police reports containing personal details of over 14,000 people.
On August 31, 2019, FBI agents executed a search warrant on Purbeck's Meridian, Idaho residence, seizing multiple computers and devices. The equipment harbored personal information pilfered from over 132,000 individuals through several data breaches, inclusive of those pertaining to the City of Newnan and the Griffin medical clinic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As a measure of recompense, Purbeck has agreed to pay upwards of $1 million in restitution to the victims affected by his digital piracy.
The 44-year-old hacker from Meridian is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2024, at 10:30 am before Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. in the United States Courthouse in Newnan, Georgia. The FBI Atlanta Field Office and additional agencies contributed to the investigation that led to Purbeck's arrest and subsequent guilty plea. The case is prosecuted by a team of U.S. Attorneys and a Trial Attorney from the U.S. Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho also providing essential support in the proceedings.
