18-year-old charged with hacking 60,000 betting accounts

Regulation

An 18-year-old Wisconsin man has been charged with crimes related to a cyberattack on a fantasy sports and betting site this past fall that impacted approximately 60,000 accounts, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York.

Joseph Garrison of Madison, Wisconsin, was charged with six counts of conspiracy, fraud and identity theft during a credential stuffing attack that began in mid-November. In a credential stuffing attack, the culprits use stolen usernames and passwords that often are obtained on the dark web.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, if convicted. Garrison surrendered to authorities Thursday in New York, according to the news release announcing the indictment.

“As alleged, Garrison attained unauthorized access to victim accounts using a sophisticated cyber-breaching attack to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars,” FBI assistant director in charge Michael J. Driscoll said in the release. “Cyber intrusions aiming to steal private individuals’ funds represent a serious risk to our economic security. Combatting cyberattacks and holding the responsible threat actors accountable in the criminal justice system remains a top priority for the FBI.”

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