Ex-Tech Worker in Seattle Found Guilty in AWS Hacking Scheme

A former tech employee was convicted Friday of wire fraud and other federal crimes for hacking into Amazon Web Services cloud computing accounts and stealing data and computer power for her own benefit. Seattle resident Paige Thompson, 36, used a tool she built to scan AWS records in search of “misconfigured accounts,” said DOJ. She then used those accounts to hack and download the data of more than 30 entities, including Capital One bank, which alerted the FBI, it said. Thompson's intrusions affected more than 100 million Capital One customers, said DOJ. “With some of her illegal access, she planted cryptocurrency mining software on new servers with the income from the mining going to her online wallet,” it said. “Thompson spent hundreds of hours advancing her scheme, and bragged about her illegal conduct to others via text or online forums.” A jury in U.S. District Court in Seattle deliberated for more than 10 hours before finding her guilty on seven counts, while acquitting her of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, said DOJ. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, it said. Thompson faces sentencing on Sept. 15. Attempts to reach her lawyers for comment were unsuccessful.