Transgender Capital One hacker threatened to 'shoot up' California social media company, wanted to be famous, say feds
The transgender woman arrested over the hacking of Capital One—a bank holding company—reportedly boasted about the hack and previously threatened to "shoot up" a California social media company, prosecutors have said.
The Capital One security breach reportedly affected nearly 100 million people across the United States and 6 million people in Canada.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Paige Thompson, a former Amazon employee, was apprehended by authorities after leaving an extensive digital footprint of her alleged crime.
The digital footprints included her boasting about the hack in online posts.
On Wednesday, federal authorities also said that Thompson threatened to “shoot up” a California social media company but didn’t name the target in their court filing.
Thompson has now been charged with one count of computer fraud and abuse, Fox News reported.
Capital One, in a statement released on Monday, said that Thompson acquired significant information from the alleged hack, including credit scores and balances plus Social Security numbers of about 140,000 customers. The bank also said that it will offer free credit monitoring services to all those affected.
Capital One CEO Richard D. Fairbank said: "While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened. I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.”
Prosecutors, meanwhile, have claimed that Thompson knew that she would get caught soon and that, over six weeks before her arrest on Monday, she had discussed the alleged hack with her friends on online, particularly in a group she had created on the Slack platform and went by the name "erratic."
Thompson's friends and associates said that although Thompson was a skilled programmer, she was struggling to get a footing and thought the alleged hack could bring her fame, notoriety, and even a job, according to the Associated Press.
She reportedly suffered from depression and said online that her transitioning to a woman since the age of 22 may have contributed to her mental health issues.
One of Thompson's online friends, Aife Dunne, said: "She had a habit of openly struggling with her state of mind in public channels. It’s where her screen name comes from."
Thompson's last job was at Amazon Web Services, a division that hosted the Capital One data she allegedly accessed illegally beginning in March, according to reports.
After leaving her job in 2016, she lost her apartment and moved into a group home. After FBI searched the house, they also detained the owner for illegal possession of firearms. They reportedly found nearly 20 guns, including assault rifles, on the property where Thompson was living.