Nintendo Hacker Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Stealing Secrets

Nintendo Hacker Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Stealing Secrets

A hacker who had been stealing secret information from Nintendo since 2016 has been sentenced to three years in prison for multiple federal crimes.

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Nintendo Hacker Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Stealing Secrets

A hacker who repeatedly stole proprietary information from Nintendo has been sentenced to three years in prison for that offense and possession of child pornography. Nintendo has had a problem with hacking for a long time, boosted in recent years by the popularity of the Nintendo Switch and the growing demand for information about the company’s products.

Back in 2016 before the Switch had taken the world by storm, two hackers stole the high-level credentials of a Nintendo employee by using a phishing method. Those credentials gave them access to a number of company files that contained confidential information about Nintendo’s games, as well as pre-release details about the much-anticipated Switch. The hackers downloaded the files and ultimately leaked them to the public. Although the FBI investigated and closed that case with a warning in 2017, one of the hackers continued his exploits in the following years and has now been prosecuted for them.

According to a press release from the US Department of Justice, the U.S. District Court in Seattle has sentenced 21-year-old Ryan Hernandez to three years in prison and seven years of supervised release for his hacking schemes and possession of child pornography. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. Hernandez plead guilty to the charges in January 2020 following another FBI investigation into him, which revealed further malicious activities beginning as late as June 2018 and continuing through June 2019. The judge recommended that Hernandez be incarcerated at “a Bureau of Prisons facility for inmates with cognitive challenges.” Hernandez further agreed to pay $259,323 in restitution to Nintendo for remediation costs.

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Records filed in the case show that Hernandez (going by the handle “RyanRocks”) hacked into multiple Nintendo servers and stole more confidential info about its games, consoles, and developer tools during that space of time. He had bragged about his hacking exploits online and leaked some of the stolen information to others. He also ran a forum called “Ryan’s Underground Hangout” where he and others shared information about possible Nintendo network vulnerabilities. FBI agents conducted a search of Hernandez’s home and seized multiple computers, drives, and circumvention devices that contained pirated video games and software, along with thousands of sensitive Nintendo files. Forensic analysis also revealed hundreds of videos and images of child pornography on his devices.

Hacking is an ever-present and growing problem in almost every modern sector, especially the video game industry. There are countless people who want to know Nintendo’s secrets and its plans for the future, which means there’s no shortage of people trying to get that info through illicit means. Hernandez may be a drop in that ocean, but at least he’s been dealt with.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/nintendo-switch-hack-prison-sentence-leaker/

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