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Crook made millions by breaking into execs’ Office365 inboxes, feds say

Arstechnica · 1m

- Robert B. Westbrook charged with a "hack-to-trade" scheme that earned him millions by breaking into Office365 accounts of executives at publicly traded companies. - Westbrook earned approximately $3.75 million in 2019 and 2020 through stock trades based on illicitly obtained quarterly financial reports. - The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a separate civil suit seeking penalties and the return of ill-gotten gains. - Using advanced data analytics and technology, the SEC was able to uncover fraud despite Westbrook's efforts to conceal his identity. - Westbrook breached the email accounts of executives from five US companies by abusing Office365's password reset mechanism and implemented auto-forwarding rules to an email account he controlled. - By obtaining material information, Westbrook could predict stock performance and accordingly execute profitable trades.