A computer hacker linked to the Islamic State pleaded guilty today for providing information to the terrorist organization and to accessing a computer without authorization, according to the Department of Justice.
Ardit Ferizi, also known under the username Th3Dir3ctorY, is a citizen of Kosovo. He was detained on a provisional arrest warrant on behalf of the United States in Malaysia and was then subsequently charged on Oct. 6, 2015.
Ferizi gained administrator-level access to a victim company’s server. He obtained the personal information of tens of thousands of the company’s customers according to the Justice Department’s report.
Then, between June and August 2015, Ferizi handed the information over to Junaid Hussain, a key Islamic State computer hacker.
Hussain would later tweet a document, provided by Ferizi, that included the information of over 1,300 U.S. military and other personnel.
The document stated, “We are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move, we have your names and addresses, we are in your emails and social media accounts, we are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!”
Ferizi admitted that he provided this information. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for providing material to the Islamic State and a maximum of 5 years for accessing a protected computer without permission.
As part of his plea, he is required to return to Kosovo after he serves his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Dana Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia said of the case, “Ferizi endangered the lives of over 1,000 Americans. Cyber terrorism has become an increasingly prevalent and serious threat here in America, both to individuals and businesses. However, cyber terrorist are no different from other terrorists: No matter where they hide, we will track them down and seek to bring them to the United States to face justice.”
