Virginia Brothers Convicted for Wiping 96 Federal Databases

Severity: High (Score: 68.0)

Sources: www.documentcloud.org, legacy.www.documentcloud.org, Bleepingcomputer, www.justice.gov, Theregister

Summary

Sohaib Akhter, 34, was convicted of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and database destruction after he and his twin brother, Muneeb, deleted approximately 96 databases containing sensitive U.S. government information. The brothers accessed an individual's EEOC account using stolen credentials shortly before being fired from their government contractor job. Following their termination on February 18, 2025, they executed commands to delete the databases and attempted to cover their tracks by querying AI for methods to erase system logs. The deleted databases included sensitive investigative files and Freedom of Information Act records from multiple federal agencies. Sohaib faces a maximum of 21 years in prison, while Muneeb could receive up to 45 years. Sentencing is scheduled for September 9, 2026. Key Points: • Sohaib Akhter was convicted for conspiring to delete 96 federal databases. • The Akhter brothers accessed sensitive government data using stolen credentials. • They attempted to erase evidence of their actions using AI tools after the deletions.

Key Entities

• Brute Force (attack_type)
• Credential Stuffing (attack_type)
• Data Breach (attack_type)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (company)
• Justice Department (company)
• State Department (company)
• Warden Systems (company)
• United States (country)
• wardensys.com (domain)
• wardensystems.com (domain)
• Government (industry)
• T1059.006 - Python (mitre_attack)
• T1070.001 - Clear Windows Event Logs (mitre_attack)
• T1078 - Valid Accounts (mitre_attack)
• T1110 - Brute Force (mitre_attack)
• T1485 - Data Destruction (mitre_attack)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (platform)
• Python (tool)