DerpTrolling Game Server DDoS Attacker Pleads Guilty

upnorth

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Jul 27, 2015
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It took a while, but a DDoS attacker responsible for bringing down game sites has finally been brought to justice.

The 23 year-old Utah resident, Austin Thompson, pleaded guilty on November 6 in a San Diego Federal court to knowingly causing damage to third-party computers. Thompson went on a spree in December 2013 and January 2014 under the Twitter handle @DerpTrolling. He allegedly used the Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) denial of service tool to hit servers owned by EA, Steam and Sony Online Entertainment. His attacks also affected Blizzard’s Battle.net system. On Twitter, which he joined in 2011, he often referred to DerpTrolling as a group, but there are no other defendants in his case. He annoyed others enough that they doxxed him, posting what they claimed were his personal details online. However, he appears to have continued tweeting until August 14 2016, when he went quiet for 18 months. He came back in January 2016 for a day and then disappeared for good. At the time, DerpTrolling told online video gaming channel #DramaAlert that he was supporting a gaming streamer who had egged him on. He would also respond to requests suggesting targets. He will be sentenced on March 1, 2019, and faces a potential 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Denial-of-service attacks cost businesses millions of dollars annually. We are committed to finding and prosecuting those who disrupt businesses, often for nothing more than ego. Said US attorney Adam Braverman.
 
E

Eddie Morra

Attempting to illegally ruin people's hard-work for your own personal gain through violation of computer laws is disgusting... and network-related attacks like DDoS is doing exactly that.

Leave other people's services alone unless you have legal authority and think about how you would feel if someone did the same to you.

I doubt the individual will get 10 years in prison but 2-5 years and possibly also a fine is probably likely.
 

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