A Jordanian national has pleaded guilty in a US court to selling unauthorized access to compromised enterprise networks after an undercover agent caught him red-handed.
The individual, Feras Khalil Ahmad Albashiti, 40, a resident of the Republic of Georgia, offered access to the computer networks of at least 50 organizations.
Albashiti, also known as Feras Bashiti and Firas Bashiti, used the online moniker ‘r1z’ on an underground forum used by cybercriminals to sell malware and other types of malicious code.
In May 2023, while the forum was being investigated by law enforcement, Albashiti sold the unauthorized access to the 50 victim corporate networks to an undercover officer who had infiltrated the forum.
According to documents presented in court, the defendant received payment in cryptocurrency.
Albashiti was arrested in Georgia and extradited to the US in July 2024. Last week, he pled guilty to “fraud and related activity in connection with access credentials,” the US Department of Justice announced.
If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $250,000, or twice the gains or losses resulting from his illicit activities. Albashiti is scheduled for sentencing on May 11.
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