Man Pleads Guilty to Hacking Computers of Georgia City Police and Medical Clinic

Robert Purbeck, also known as “Lifelock,” and “Studmaster,” who hacked into the computer servers of the police department of Newnan, Georgia and a medical clinic in Griffin, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of computer fraud and abuse, according to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.

Prosecutors said Purbeck, after hacking the Georgia facilities, then targeted at least 17 other victims across the country – in the process stealing personal information of more than 132,000 individuals.

As part of his plea agreement, Buchanan said Purbeck agreed to pay more than $1 million in restitution to the victims of his hacking. Sentencing for Purbeck is scheduled for June 18 in the U.S. courthouse in Newnan.

“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,” said Buchanan. “Cyber-attacks on health care facilities and local governments pose a grave risk to the security of personal information.”

According to investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and information presented in court, in June 2017 Purbeck purchased access to the computer server of a Griffin medical clinic on a darknet marketplace. He then used the stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access into computers of the medical clinic and stole medical records and other documents, which contained sensitive personal information of more than 43,000 individuals, including names, addresses, birthdates, and social security numbers.

Subsequently, in February 2018, Purbeck purchased access to a city of Newnan Police Department server on a darknet marketplace, according to the charges. Purbeck then used these stolen credentials to hack into the city’s computer systems and steal records consisting of police reports and documents, which included personal information of more than 14,000 people.

FBI agents executed a federal search warrant on Purbeck’s home in Meridian, Idaho, where they seized multiple computers and devices containing personal information of more than132,000 individuals obtained through numerous data breaches.

Source: U.S. Attorney