Recently, a cybercriminal was involved in court proceedings in a UK court. The cybercriminal was earlier found to be accessing Apple iCloud accounts through hacking.
Like other ransomware attackers, the cybercriminal, Kerem Albayrak, asked for a ransom in the form of Bitcoin for ransomware removal. A ransom demand of Bitcoins worth $175,000 was put forward by Albayrak.
Albayrak used to work as an IT analyst and belongs to northern London. So far, he has been charged with unauthorized activities (two counts) that blocked access to computers and a blackmail (one count) charge for threatening Apple. The case began in the Westminster Magistrates’ court. Afterward, an unconditional bail was provided to Albayrak till his case further proceeds. The set date is 14th November at Southwark Crown Court.
Local media reported that Albayrak was earlier found to be recording himself while illegally accessing iCloud accounts. The video was posted on YouTube. Afterward, he had the nerve to directly initiate communication with Apple. After establishing a connection with Apple, he demanded a ransom of $175,000 to be sent to his cryptocurrency wallet in the form of Bitcoins. Additionally, he also added iTunes vouchers as part of the ransom.
Albayrak claimed to have account access of 319 million users and threatened the brand that in case the company refused to pay ransomware, he intends to reveal all the personal and sensitive information of users to the public.
In the beginning, Albayrak asked for a lower ransom, $75,000. However, later on, he increased his ransom demand and pressurized Apple to pay $175,000 –– $174,000 worth of Bitcoins and $1000 in the form of iTunes vouchers.
According to the Prosecutor Lorna Vincent, Albayrak has been charged for forwarding threatening emails to Apple, asking for ransom after getting access to iCloud accounts, and blackmailing over the use of those accounts. He then went on to use the account of his victims by publishing a video of himself on YouTube.
