UK teen gained access to CIA chief’s accounts

LONDON: A British teenager managed to access the communications accounts of top US intelligence and security officials including the then CIA chief John Brennan, a London court heard Friday.

Kane Gamble, now 18, was aged 15 and 16 when, from his bedroom in Coalville, central England, he managed to impersonate his targets to gain highly sensitive information.

“Kane Gamble gained access to the communications accounts of some very highranking US intelligence officials and government employees,” prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones told England’s Old Bailey central criminal court.

“He also gained access to US law enforcement and intelligence agency networks.”

Gamble has admitted 10 offences against the computer misuse act, between June 2015 and February 2016, and is awaiting sentencing.

The court heard how the teenager founded the group Crackas With Attitude (CWA), who used ‘social engineering’ — manipulating call centres and help desks into divulging confidential information — which they then exploited.

Gamble impersonated Brennan in calls to the telecommunications companies Verizon and AOL, although in one attempt, he stumbled on a question about Brennan’s first pet.

Several sensitive documents were reportedly obtained from Brennan’s private email inbox and Gamble managed to get information about military and intelligence operations in Iran and Afghanistan.

“It also seems he was able to successfully access Mr Brennan’s iCloud account,” the prosecutor said.

Gamble called AOL and initiated a password reset, and took control of Brennan’s wife’s iPad. — AFP