Elliott Gunton

Last updated

Elliott Gunton
Born
Elliott Gunton

c. 1999 (age 24–25)
England
Other namesGlubz
planet
Known for
Criminal statusIncarcerated

Elliott Gunton (born c. 1999), also known by his online pseudonyms Glubz and planet, [1] is a convicted British cybercriminal from Norfolk. [2]

Contents

TalkTalk security breach

On 21 October 2015, [3] Gunton engaged in a "sustained cyberattack" against British telecom company TalkTalk, stealing the names, addresses, e-mails, and bank details of its users. [4] [5]

During the subsequent search of his home, law enforcement found "indecent images of children" on Gunton's devices. [4] He also confessed to targeting the websites of Manchester University and Cambridge University. [3]

In November 2016, Gunton pleaded guilty to his role in the data breach, telling the youth court that he was "just showing off to [his] mates." [6] [7] [8] He received a 12-month youth rehabilitation order. [3]

August 2019 conviction

Gunton was again investigated in April 2019, after CCleaner was found on his computer during an unannounced police visit, which was in violation of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). Through the investigation, he was found to have committed further crimes after his initial arrest, and in August 2019, he pleaded guilty to, in 2017 and 2018, laundering money, committing Computer Misuse Act crimes, and breaching a SHPO. He had also probed the websites of local high schools for vulnerabilities and illegally accessed Australian telecom company Telstra's systems, which he then used to gain access to the Instagram account @adesignersmind to send "grotesquely offensive" messages to the owner's customers. [9]

During a search of Gunton's home, police discovered £407,359.35 in cryptocurrency, which he had allegedly acquired from selling the account details of Instagram users on cybercrime forums. He was sentenced to 20 months of imprisonment but was immediately released due to time served. [4] Gunton's mother and father were given three- and five-month suspended sentences, respectively, for transferring the stolen funds. [10]

After his conviction, Gunton's cryptocurrency was auctioned off, the "first ever on the instruction of a police force in the UK." [11] [12]

EtherDelta cryptocurrency theft

On 13 August 2019, Gunton and Anthony Tyler Nashatka ("psycho") of Michigan [13] were indicted by a federal grand jury for their involvement in a December 2017 scheme to steal over US$1.4 million in Ethereum. [14] The two were accused of simjacking the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange EtherDelta and using his access to redirect its users to a clone of EtherDelta, which would give Gunton and Nashatka details of cryptocurrency wallets that users had entered. [1] [15]

In July 2024, Gunton was sentenced to 3½ years of imprisonment for his involvement in the scheme. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "Alleged Cryptocurrency Thief 'Psycho' Charged In Brazen Digital Scheme". CBS. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. ↑ Gilbert, Dominic (1 September 2019). "Revealed: How police caught teenage hacker who made £400,000 from his bedroom". Eastern Daily Press . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Teenager who hacked TalkTalk website given rehabilitation order". The Guardian . 13 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Corfield, Gareth (19 August 2019). "Teen TalkTalk hacker ordered to pay £400k after hijacking popular Instagram account". The Register . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Corfield, Gareth (22 October 2015). "TalkTalk: Hackers may have nicked personal, banking info on 4 million Brits". The Register . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Corfield, Gareth (15 November 2016). "TalkTalk teen hacker pleads guilty as firm reveals £22m profit jump". The Register . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Oates, John (26 September 2019). "Now Uncle Sam would like a word with Brit teen TalkTalk hacker about a huge crypto-coin heist". The Register . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Gilbert, Dominic (2 October 2019). "'Misguided' - parents of teenage hacker moved hoard of cryptocurrency during investigation". Eastern Daily Press . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Gilbert, Dominic (5 April 2019). "Three Norwich schools probed for weakness by teenage hacker". Eastern Daily Press . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "TalkTalk hacker Elliott Gunton: Parents acted out of 'misguided loyalty'". BBC. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  11. ↑ Gilbert, Dominic (30 September 2019). "'Historic' auction of ill-gotten hoard of Bitcoin from Norwich computer hacker earns £240,000". Eastern Daily Press . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "TalkTalk hacker Elliott Gunton: Cryptocurrency auctioned by police". BBC. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "Michigan Resident Appears In Bay Area Federal Court On Hacking Charges". United States Department of Justice. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  14. ↑ "TalkTalk hacker Elliott Gunton accused of computer fraud in US". BBC. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Stevens, Robert (23 September 2019). "US Attorney's Office indicts two suspects in EtherDelta hack". Yahoo News . Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  16. ↑ Parkin, Simon (26 July 2024). "TalkTalk hacker Elliott Gunton jailed in cryptocurrency scam". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
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