Draft:Crackas With Attitude
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Comment: No improvement since last submission. —👑PRINCE of EREBOR📜 04:56, 8 March 2025 (UTC)
Overview
[edit]Crackas With Attitude (CWA) was a hacking group active around 2015–2016, known for targeting U.S. government officials and agencies. The group primarily used social engineering techniques to gain unauthorized access to personal accounts and sensitive information..[1]
CWA claimed to be affiliated with the Anonymous hacking collective and focused on infiltrating the accounts of high-ranking U.S. government officials, including CIA Director John O. Brennan, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and officials from the FBI and White House.
Notable Incidents
[edit]John O. Brennan
John O. Brennan, the former Director of the CIA, was one of CWA’s primary targets. The group reportedly obtained his phone number from a leaked database found on underground forums. Using social engineering, CWA contacted Brennan’s telecom provider, Verizon, and posed as technicians to obtain details about his account, including his AOL email address.
By pressing the "Forgot Password" feature on AOL, CWA initiated a password reset request. Since they had already acquired Brennan’s Verizon account details, they were able to bypass security questions and reset the email password.
Once inside the account, they accessed:
Documents related to intelligence operations A dossier on CIA officers Brennan’s security clearance application (SF-86 form), which contained personal and sensitive information[2] The group later contacted Brennan in an attempt to provoke a reaction. According to Wired, a conversation between the hackers and Brennan included statements about political issues.[3]
James Clapper
James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, was also targeted using similar social engineering tactics. After gaining access to his accounts, the group allegedly redirected his phone calls to the Free Palestine Movement, an organization supporting Palestinian rights.
In addition, they reportedly contacted Clapper’s wife, mocking her and Clapper himself.[4]
Other Incidents
[edit]CWA also claimed responsibility for breaching FBI and White House networks, leaking personally identifiable information of government officials. The incident was seen as a significant security embarrassment for U.S. intelligence agencies, prompting an aggressive investigation by the FBI.
Investigation and Arrests
[edit]Authorities identified CWA members after one of the individuals, known as D3fault (Justin G. Liverman), reportedly disclosed information while intoxicated. This led to an FBI raid on his residence, resulting in his arrest and the seizure of digital evidence, including cryptocurrency assets.
Another key member, Kane Gamble (known online as Cracka), was also arrested following an investigation.[5][6]
Legal Consequences
[edit]Members of CWA received sentences ranging from 2 to 5 years in prison. The group's activities raised concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities, particularly in how high-ranking officials handle personal security measures.
- ^ "Two years' detention for UK teenager who 'cyberterrorised' US officials". The Guardian. 20 April 2018.
- ^ "Teen Hackers: A '5-Year-Old' Could Have Hacked into CIA Director's Emails". 19 October 2015.
- ^ Zetter, Kim. "Teen Who Hacked CIA Director's Email Tells How He Did It". Wired.
- ^ "Teen Who Hacked CIA Email is Back to Prank US Spy Chief". 12 January 2016.
- ^ "D3f4ult – Darknet Diaries".
- ^ "What It's Like for a Hacker to Get Back Online After a Two-Year Internet Ban". 24 August 2020.