Master Hacker Sentenced to Seven Years for Cyberattack on Rotterdam and Antwerp Ports

Hacker Sentenced to Seven Years for Breaching Rotterdam and Antwerp Ports

Recently, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal handed down a significant judgment, sentencing a 44-year-old Dutch national to seven years in prison for various offenses, including computer hacking and attempted extortion.

The individual’s legal journey began when he was arrested in 2021 and subsequently convicted in 2022 by the Amsterdam District Court. However, he contested the verdict, citing the unlawful interception of his communications by authorities, which led to the discovery of incriminating evidence.

The incriminating communications were conducted through the end-to-end encrypted chat service Sky ECC. In a groundbreaking move, Europol managed to ‘crack’ this service in 2021, resulting in the apprehension of the service’s CEO and multiple users. The fallout from this operation continued into the following year.

While the defendant was acquitted of one drug-related charge related to the importation of 5,000 kg of cocaine, the court upheld the initial conviction and other charges brought against him.

Challenges to the law enforcement’s acquisition of Sky-ECC messages were dismissed, with the defense unable to substantiate claims of procedural violations impacting the defendant’s right to a fair trial.

The accused individual stands accused of infiltrating the servers of ports in Rotterdam, Barendrecht, and Antwerp in the Netherlands and Belgium to facilitate the undetected importation of drugs.

The court’s ruling states, “He is complicit in computer hacking, with the objective of gaining access to port systems to covertly import drugs, thus aiding drug trafficking.”

The hacker breached the IT systems of a port logistics company through employees who introduced USB sticks containing malware. It remains unclear whether these employees were deceived or incentivized to carry out this action.

This breach enabled the hacker to install a remote access tool on internal systems, allowing for data extraction from databases and interception of transmitted data.

Authorities also noted that between September 15, 2020, and April 24, 2021, the defendant, alongside accomplices, attempted to sell malware and guidelines on its utilization.

For crimes encompassing computer hacking to facilitate drug trafficking, the importation of 210kg of cocaine in the Netherlands, and attempted extortion, the defendant received a final sentence of seven years in prison.