A French “hacker” and alleged Anonymous member has been arrested after flaunting his purported skills on national television.
“Carl” – who appeared on “Complément D’Enquête” – supposedly demonstrated his ability to breach networks operated by both the French Army and Thales Group.
In addition, the alleged hacker claimed he routinely sold credit card and bank account data to finance his illicit exploits.
Although the French Army has yet to comment, Thales apparently took immediate action, informing police that “Carl” had indeed stolen confidential information during one of his recent cyber forays.
As expected, “Carl” was arrested 6 days after the program aired, with law enforcement officials recovering a significant number of compromised credit cards and related bank data.
The accused “hacker” – who is currently being detained – will be charged with unauthorized access, data theft and organized fraud.
My take on all this?
I am understandably skeptical of an individual who appears on national TV claiming to be a hacker and member of the cyber activist group known as Anonymous.
The majority of (real) hackers I’ve encountered over the years are typically more circumspect and talk about their clandestine activities only with an inner circle of friends and acquaintances.
That is how it has been for years, ever since the beginning. And hey, even the old warez masters didn’t shout about their 0 day swag.
Now, the fact that Thales demanded Carl’s arrest doesn’t necessarily prove he was involved in stealing information.
You really can’t expect a corporation to act any differently, as Thales does have to cover all its bases – just in case.
Then again, the stolen credit cards and bank information seems to allude that “Carl” was certainly up to something illegal.
Yes, maybe he is a cyber criminal. But a genuine hacker? I seriously doubt it.
