US Homeland Security Official Charged with Stealing Confidential Government Software, Databases (zdnet.com) 25
An anonymous reader quotes ZDNet:
In a press release Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged a former Acting Inspector General for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the theft of proprietary software and confidential government databases.
The indictment named Charles K. Edwards, a former DHS Acting Inspector General between 2011 to 2013, but also his former aid, 54-year-old Murali Yamazula Venkata. DOJ officials claim that between October 2014 and April 2017 -- after Edwards left office -- Edwards, Venkata, and others were part of a scheme that stole confidential and proprietary software from DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). Edwards and others also stole sensitive government databases containing the personal identifying information (PII) of DHS and United States Postal Service (USPS) employees, the DOJ claims.
U.S. officials claim Edwards had set up his own company, named Delta Business Solutions, through which he wanted to sell an enhanced version of stolen DHS-OIG software to the OIG for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at a profit... "Although Edwards had left DHS-OIG in December 2013, he continued to leverage his relationship with Venkata and other DHS-OIG employees to steal the software and the sensitive government databases," the DOJ said Friday in an announcement. According to court documents, Venkata, Edwards' former aid, along with others, assisted the former DHS AIG by reconfiguring his laptop so that he could properly upload the stolen software and databases.
In addition, the DOJ claims they also provided Edwards with technical and troubleshooting support and even helped the former DHS AIG build a testing server at his residence where he could test the stolen software and stolen government databases.
The indictment named Charles K. Edwards, a former DHS Acting Inspector General between 2011 to 2013, but also his former aid, 54-year-old Murali Yamazula Venkata. DOJ officials claim that between October 2014 and April 2017 -- after Edwards left office -- Edwards, Venkata, and others were part of a scheme that stole confidential and proprietary software from DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). Edwards and others also stole sensitive government databases containing the personal identifying information (PII) of DHS and United States Postal Service (USPS) employees, the DOJ claims.
U.S. officials claim Edwards had set up his own company, named Delta Business Solutions, through which he wanted to sell an enhanced version of stolen DHS-OIG software to the OIG for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at a profit... "Although Edwards had left DHS-OIG in December 2013, he continued to leverage his relationship with Venkata and other DHS-OIG employees to steal the software and the sensitive government databases," the DOJ said Friday in an announcement. According to court documents, Venkata, Edwards' former aid, along with others, assisted the former DHS AIG by reconfiguring his laptop so that he could properly upload the stolen software and databases.
In addition, the DOJ claims they also provided Edwards with technical and troubleshooting support and even helped the former DHS AIG build a testing server at his residence where he could test the stolen software and stolen government databases.
I wish more US officials (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Would steal software and leak classified information
I wish more would get caught.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The blatant disregard for law shown by those officials should be deeply disturbing. The basis for the reasoning that they would get away with so brazen a crime, is high level corruption routinely exposed and ignored like the Clintons and the Bidens, this is creating a society of corruption and is impacting the socio-economic fabric of the USA in a extremely destruct full way. Wars for profit, public kickbacks on bribes, scamming elections, broken military hardware, failing infrastructure, dysfunctional gove
Re: I wish more US officials (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Would steal software and leak classified information
I wish you had a brain.
Doesn't appear to have criminal intent.. (Score:2)
Gotta wonder, who'd he piss off?
Re:Doesn't appear to have criminal intent.. (Score:4, Insightful)
"he wanted to sell an enhanced version of stolen DHS-OIG software to the OIG for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at a profit."
This sounds exactly like criminal intent. He wasn't a hoarder, he was trying to profit.
That's especially dangerous, the criminal intent with profit motive makes him a major risk. Hopefully he didn't sell anything to China.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Re: (Score:3)
" between October 2014 and April 2017"
Re: (Score:1)
They don't follow their own training (Score:3)
We really need a new word for this. (Score:2)
The headline implies the DHS hasn't got the software and databases anymore.
Which is clearly nonsense.
What really happened, is that somebody leaked their secrets. (Implying he actually "told" it to third parties.)
So can we please stop enabling the Content Mafia reality distortion, and get real? This kind of nonsense only enables criminals to steal from artists and fans. And it causes otherwise good people to delude themselves into idiotic business models that can't work, believing that they can control their
Re: (Score:2)
but somebody (an actual person) betrayed you and gave your secret to people you told him not to, which caused you harm
Espionage?
But sure why not (Score:2)