The TDO's leader, Nathan Wyatt, was given a five-year jail term on September 22. The 39-year-old Englishman pleaded admission to the charges after being extradited to the United States in December of last year. In addition to the five-year term, the Missouri federal district court ordered him to pay almost $1.5 million in reparations.
How did he act?
The Dark Overlord is a hacking group that initially came to the public's notice when it launched significant assaults on healthcare organizations. 650,000 people's medical data were stolen and sold on the dark web.
Since then, they have dominated the headlines with acts that range from nefarious to horrifying.
The gang threatened to post the stolen material online unless they paid a ransom in Bitcoin after hacking into corporations and private persons. Banks, healthcare organizations, and private citizens were the targets of the hackers. If they disobeyed the attackers' wishes, messages of danger were sent to their friends and relatives as well. Wyatt was often the perpetrator of these threats, even harming the victims' children to force the parents to make good on their promises. The detectives soon located Wyatt thanks to these ominous calls and texts.
An insurance marketplace called Lloyd's of London was the target of one of the hackers' most significant strikes. TDO claimed to have stolen a substantial quantity of damaging insurance records about the 9/11 attacks. If Lloyd didn't pay $2 million in Bitcoin, the hackers threatened to publish these records. But, since December 31, 2018, no ransom has been paid, and TDO is gradually disclosing the private papers. It is yet unknown whether they have any important information.
When the organization struck schools in Columbia Falls, Montana in 2017, it was one of their worst assaults. Due to the hackers' threats to children and their parents' lives, more than 30 schools had to be shut down. The victims were once again requested to pay money to be spared violence.
How do you keep protected?
Criminals that commit crimes online don't always get away with them. There are, however, very few instances when they are discovered. Cyber hazards are simpler to prevent than to deal with after they occur.
These hacks are often directed against CEOs, big, rich targets, and businesses that handle sensitive data. Yet, middle-level managers may also become a target if they had sufficient access rights.
What can people, businesses, and public institutions do to stop this from happening?
Safeguard your data
Encrypt sensitive data, use cloud backup, and firewalls. access control. Ensure that staff only have access to the information they really need. When too many persons have access to private firm information, numerous breaches occur. It is more difficult to protect them since there are more entrance points.
Hide the contacts for your business. Email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses shouldn't be made public. Have a contact form online instead.
Know the dangers
Every day, phishing methods advance in sophistication. Provide frequent cybersecurity training sessions so that every worker in the firm is aware of how things are done. Whaling, spear phishing, and other social engineering assaults need to be addressed as well.
Respect the privacy of others
Oversharing might cause further issues in the future. The fact that the relatives of their victims were so simple to locate was one of the reasons TDO was able to threaten them. Keep your family relationships private online, and teach your kids about social media safety.
Employ 2FA and strong passwords
Passwords are the first line of security, whether it's for a private social media page or a professional account. Never use them again, never send them as plaintext, and never record them on paper. Use these guidelines at work and make an effort to follow them at home.
Put security software to use
A trustworthy VPN will shield your connections from snoopers while antimalware software will alert you to any potential spyware. You will be shielded by top-notch encryption and protected from man-in-the-middle attacks so you may operate remotely. Some service providers even include unique tools that actively block harmful and fraudulent websites, preventing the danger from ever reaching your device.