Hacker ‘Lifelock’ pleads guilty to computer fraud

Robert Purbeck, otherwise known as Lifelock and Studmaster, has pleaded guilty to charges of computer fraud and abuse.

The court claims that Purbeck hacked into the computer systems of the City of Newnan Police Department and Griffin Medical Clinic, both in the state of Georgia, and targeted 17 individuals during his time as a cybercriminal.

Over 132,000 personal records were obtained with the intent to extort these individuals.

“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 US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.

Purbeck began his criminal ventures in June 2017 when he purchased access to Griffin Medical Clinic's computer server on the dark web.

Once he gained access, Purbeck stole sensitive documents and personal medical records containing information on 43,000 people.

This information includes names, addresses, birthdates, and Social Security numbers.

In 2018, Purbeck purchased access to the City of Newnan’s Police Department computer system on the dark web, where he used stolen credentials to access police records and other documents.

These documents included the personal information of more than 14,000 people.

Using a federal search warrant, authorities investigated Purbeck’s home. During the search, they seized multiple devices containing the personal information of over 132,000 people.

Authorities concluded that this information had been gathered during various data breaches, including the aforementioned dark net computer servers and from 17 separate victims.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 18th, 2024, and as a part of his plea deal, Purbeck has agreed to pay over $1 million dollars in compensation to his victims.