Network Security News

Hacker planned to use hospital PCs for 'massive' July 4 DDOS

Monday, July 6, 2009

Federal authorities last week arrested Jesse William McGraw - a/k/a "GhostExodus" - whom they said posted YouTube videos of himself compromising PCs at a Dallas hospital and urging hackers to join him in a massive DDOS attack on July 4.

McGraw, who was employed as a security guard at Carrel Clinic hospital in Dallas, broke into several computers in the hospital building, including computers controlling the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and computers containing confidential patient information, according to acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

The affidavit alleges that between April and June 2009 McGraw compromised the network security of the hospital computer systems in order to carry out a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDOS) against unnamed targets on July 4, 2009, a date that McGraw called "Devil's Day," the U.S. attorney said.

The U.S attorney said McGraw had given notice to his employer, United Protection Services, announcing his last day of work was to be July 3, the day before the planned DDOS attack.

McGraw appeared in court last week and was ordered detained until a grand jury determines whether to indict him, according to SCmagazineUS.com.