Higinio Ochoa

Higinio Ochoa, also known as w0rmer, is an American hacker. In 2012, while associated with the hacker group CabinCr3w (part of Anonymous), he was arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and ultimately served two years in federal prison for hacking.[1][2] As of 2021, Ochoa is a member of the white-hat hacker group Sakura Samurai.[3]

Higinio Ochoa
NationalityAmerican
Other namesw0rmer
Known forOperation: Pig Roast
Criminal chargesComputer hacking

Career

Ochoa is a member of Sakura Samurai, a white-hat hacking group known for its large-scale breaches of governmental groups and corporations. Ochoa and others in Sakura Samurai were responsible for 2021 vulnerability disclosures pertaining to John Deere software.[3]

Early hacking and conviction

In February 2012, Ochoa hacked protected computers including those of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Alabama Department of Public Safety, West Virginia Chiefs of Police Association and Houston County, Alabama.[4] After accessing the systems, Ochoa downloaded and shared confidential and personal information from the systems, erased data, and vandalized websites. At the time, Ochoa was associated with CabinCr3w, a hacker group that had grown out of Anonymous.[5]

Ochoa was arrested by the FBI specifically in relation to his access of Alabama Department of Public Safety computers, which had for some reason been connected with an FBI criminal database. Ochoa replaced the FBI database with his self-proclaimed trademark, a photo of a woman in a bikini, holding a sign reading "PwNd by w0rmer & CabinCr3w, <3 u BiTch's!" The woman in the photo had taken the picture with an iPhone that had location services enabled. Through this, the FBI traced the photo back to her exact coordinates, discovered her identity, and found her Facebook page, which revealed Ochoa as her fiancé.[6] The FBI arrested Ochoa on March 20, 2012, in Galveston, Texas.[7]

On June 25, 2012, Ochoa was charged by the FBI with hacking into law enforcement systems and publishing personal information of officers, including phone numbers and home addresses, in what he and CabinCr3w called "Operation Pig Roast".[8][9] Ochoa was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay approximately US$14,000 restitution for unauthorized access to the agencies' computers.[5] During his parole, Ochoa was legally banned from using the Internet or any computer or device connected to the Internet.[4][6]

Media

In 2015, Ochoa was featured in episode 21 of the podcast Reply All (podcast), in an episode titled "Hack the Police".[10]

In 2016, Ochoa was featured in Season 1, Episode 4 of the Showtime series Dark Net, in an episode titled "CTRL".[11]

In 2020, Ochoa was featured in episode 63 of the podcast Darknet Diaries, in an episode titled "w0rmer".[12]

References
  1. Roberts, Paul (April 4, 2012). "CabinCr3w Hacker Arrested by FBI". ThreatPost. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  2. Pendergrass, William Stanley (October 3, 2013). The Rise and Fall of CabinCr3w: How Simple Mistakes Doomed a Hacking Group. International Association for Computer Information Systems. Vol. 14.
  3. Roberts, Paul (August 8, 2021). "DEF CON: Security Holes in Deere, Case IH Shine Spotlight on Agriculture Cyber Risk". The Security Ledger with Paul F. Roberts. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  4. "The curious case of the ex‑hacker "banned from the internet"". WeLiveSecurity. April 28, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  5. "Galveston Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Computer Hacking" (Press release). United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. August 24, 2012.
  6. Bertrand, Natasha (April 28, 2015). "A former hacker describes how he survives being banned from the Internet". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  7. Caulfield, Philip (April 15, 2012). "Racy photo of girlfriend's bust leads FBI to Texas hacker". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  8. Diaz, Jesus (April 12, 2012). "These Breasts Nailed a Hacker For the FBI". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  9. Goodin, Dan (April 4, 2012). "Feds charge confessed Anon member after tracking his digital footprints". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  10. "#21 Hack the Police". Reply All (podcast) (Podcast). April 19, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  11. "Dark Net - Season 1 Episode 4, CTRL". Showtime. February 11, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  12. Rhysider, Jack (April 14, 2020). "w0rmer". Darknet Diaries (Podcast). Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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