Feds indict TJX hacker for data theft in Heartland breach
Monday, August 17, 2009
Federal prosecutors on Monday indicted a Miami man in connection with the biggest credit card data breach on record - the theft of 130 million card numbers from Heartland Payment Systems - along with two other high-profile hacks.
The 28-year-old Albert Gonzales, who is currently in federal custody, is already charged in two other data breaches, including for the theft of 40 million credit card numbers from retailer TJX.
According to the Justice department, Gonzales was charged with conspiracy and wire fraud on Monday for involvement along with two unnamed co-conspirators of using a sophisticated hacking technique called an SQL injection attack, to breach the network firewalls of Heartland Payment Systems, along with retail chains 7-Eleven and Hannaford Brothers.
The indictment alleges that Gonzales and two Russian co-conspirators sent the stolen data to computer servers they operated in California, Illinois, Latvia, the Netherlands and Ukraine.
Gonzales is also facing charges in New York for the hacking of a computer network run by a national restaurant chain. Trial on those charges is scheduled to begin in September.
Gonzales is set to be tried in Massachusetts sometime next year for the theft of 40 million credit card numbers from TJX in 2005 and 2006.
TJX recently settled with 41 states for $9.75 million over the massive data breach that exposed credit card holders to potential identity theft and fraud.
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