Two Canadians indicted in US for 2016-2019 hacks of university supercomputers to mine Electroneum; Roach extradited
Matéria consolidada. Reúne 3 matérias que o Tifon tinha publicado separadamente sobre a mesma história. A IA reescreveu o relatório com o que as 3 fontes trouxeram em 05/11/2026 00:01; os links antigos trazem para cá.
Fontes: cyberscoop.com ↗ bleepingcomputer.com ↗ securityweek.com ↗
A US federal grand jury indicted two Canadian nationals, Ryan James Roach (35, Saskatchewan) and Mathiew James Stubbings (41, Ontario), for allegedly hacking US universities between June 2016 and December 2019 to run cryptocurrency-mining operations on their systems, including supercomputers. Victims were unnamed academic institutions in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and the coin mined was Electroneum (securityweek.com). The grand jury indictment dates to April 2022 (cyberscoop.com). Roach was extradited from Canada on October 28, 2026 and arraigned on November 3 in the US District Court for the Western District of New York (bleepingcomputer.com, cyberscoop.com). Extradition proceedings against Stubbings are still pending in Canadian courts. Both face charges of conspiracy to obtain information from and damage a protected computer, obtaining information from a protected computer, and intentionally damaging a protected computer. Each count carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and forfeiture of devices and proceeds is also possible (cyberscoop.com). Prosecutors say the defendants caused at least $5,000 in damage to at least 10 computers over a one-year period (bleepingcomputer.com). Officials did not disclose how much cryptocurrency was mined (cyberscoop.com).
Detalhes técnicos
- Prosecutors allege the pair researched and identified institutions running supercomputers with exploitable vulnerabilities, and targeted campuses hosting such systems (cyberscoop.com, securityweek.com).
- They rented virtual private servers under fake names, in multiple countries according to the DOJ account (bleepingcomputer.com) and in Europe and the US according to cyberscoop.com. The servers were used to distribute malware and mining software, store stolen login credentials, and mask their traffic.
- After initial access, the attackers performed reconnaissance, stole data and credentials, and deployed mining malware. They also deployed rootkits (cyberscoop.com).
- In some cases they used compromised supercomputer access to research security vulnerabilities in victim networks (bleepingcomputer.com).
- They reportedly used machines and servers belonging to other victims to conceal their identities while expanding access across networks (bleepingcomputer.com).
- The indictment states that at least one supercomputer's processing power was diverted to mining, degrading performance for its legitimate users (cyberscoop.com).
Linha do tempo
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Canadian Man Extradited to US Over University Cryptomining Hacking Spree (2016-2019)
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
The U.S. Justice Department extradited Ryan James Roach, a 35-year-old from Saskatchewan, Canada, to face charges for allegedly hacking into the networks of at least four U.S. universities (in New York, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Massachusetts) between mid-2016 and late 2019 to run an illicit cryptocurrency mining operation. A co-defendant, Mathiew James Stubbings, 41, of Ontario, is also charged but remains subject to extradition proceedings. A grand jury indicted both men in April 2022, and Roach was extradited on Oct. 28, 2026, and arraigned in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. If convicted, the pair face up to 10 years in prison, fines of up to $250,000, and forfeiture of devices and proceeds.
Technical Details
Prosecutors allege the men researched and identified victim institutions running supercomputers with exploitable vulnerabilities. They allegedly rented virtual private servers in Europe and the U.S. under false identities to mask their traffic, deployed rootkits, stole credentials and data, and transmitted cryptocurrency mining software to compromised machines. The indictment states the activity caused at least one supercomputer's processing power to be diverted for cryptomining, degrading performance for its legitimate owners. Officials did not disclose the amount of cryptocurrency mined.
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Two Canadians Indicted for Hacking US Universities to Mine Cryptocurrency on Supercomputers
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
A US federal grand jury has indicted Ryan James Roach (35) and Mathiew James Stubbings (41), two Canadian nationals, for allegedly hacking multiple US universities between June 2016 and December 2019 and deploying cryptocurrency-mining malware on compromised systems, including supercomputers. The pair face charges of conspiracy to obtain information from and damage a protected computer, intentionally damaging a protected computer, and obtaining information from a protected computer, carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine each if convicted. Victims included unnamed educational institutions in New York, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Massachusetts, and prosecutors say the defendants caused at least $5,000 in damage to at least 10 computers over a one-year period. Roach was extradited from Canada on October 28, 2026 and arraigned on November 3; Stubbings awaits extradition.
Technical Details
According to the Department of Justice, Roach and Stubbings used virtual private servers registered under fake names in multiple countries to distribute malware and crypto-mining software, and to store stolen login credentials. After gaining initial access, the attackers conducted reconnaissance, stole data and credentials, deployed mining malware, and in some cases used compromised supercomputer access to research security vulnerabilities in victim networks. They reportedly used compromised computers and servers belonging to other victims to conceal their identities while expanding access across networks.
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Two Canadians Charged in US Over Multi-Year Cryptomining Hacks on University Supercomputers
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
The US Department of Justice indicted two Canadian nationals, Ryan James Roach (35, Saskatchewan) and Mathiew James Stubbings (41, Ontario), for allegedly hijacking university supercomputing resources across the US to mine the cryptocurrency Electroneum between June 2016 and December 2019. The intrusions compromised academic institutions in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with attackers specifically targeting campuses hosting supercomputers. Roach was extradited from Canada on October 28, 2026, while extradition proceedings against Stubbings are still pending in Canadian courts. Both face charges of conspiracy to obtain information and cause damage to protected computers, obtaining information from a protected computer, and intentional computer damage, each carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.