Cyber extortionist sentenced to eight years in jail ITWeb

pIn a landmark case a man was last week sentenced to eight years in jail for contravening South Africas Cyber Crimes ActppLucky Majangandile Erasmus 36 a former employee of Ecentric Payment Systems was sentenced by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court after entering into a plea agreement with the State to a combined eight years imprisonment for cyber fraud theft of data and attempted cyber extortionppThe total sentence was eight years imprisonment with three years suspended for five yearsppIn a statement the South African Police Service SAPS says the charges include one count of contravening section 12 of the Cyber Crimes Act one count of theft of data two counts of attempted cyber extortion four counts of cyber fraud four counts of unlawful accessing of a computer system three counts of unlawful acts with software or hardware tool two counts of unlawful interference with a network or data one count of unlawful interference with a data storage medium one count of resetting of passwords one count of unlawful access and one count of trespassingppThe Act creates cyber crimes as new criminal offences under South African law These relate to unlawful access to a computer system or computer data storage medium as well as unlawful interception of data andor processing of unlawfully intercepted datappIt was signed into law by president Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021ppThe charges arose from events in late 2023 when Erasmus and his coaccused Felix Unathi Pupu 43 also a former Ecentric employee illegally installed software on the companys IT systems enabling remote accessppFollowing the breach an unknown party contacted Ecentrics CEO claiming that critical elements of the companys IT infrastructure had been compromised and threatening to release sensitive company data unless a ransom was paidppOn 14 November 2023 the first ransom demand was issued 534 260 R9 473 170 to be paid within 16 hours with a threat to publish the data across various platforms within 30 hours if the demand was not metppA second ransom demand of 1 million R17 million followed on 30 November 2023 accompanied by additional threats to expose evidence of the data breachppWhile Ecentric refused to pay the ransom four of its retail clients suffered financial losses amounting to R794 80851 as a result of the attack says SAPSppErasmus and Pupu were arrested on 14 December 2023 Erasmus has remained in custody since his arrest and was formally sentenced last week His coaccused Pupu remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on 30 June for plea and sentencingppAs part of the courts ruling Erasmus was ordered not to commit any further offences during the suspension period including fraud conspiracy to commit fraud theft or violations of the Cyber Crimes Act or the Trespass ActppAdditionally Erasmus was declared unfit to possess a firearmppEcentric welcomed the sentencing saying We can confirm that a former employee involved in a 2023 security breach Lucky Majangandile Erasmus has been convicted on 17 charges related to cyber fraud theft of data and attempted cyber extortionppWe are pleased to report that Mr Erasmus has now been sentenced by the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Cape TownppDigital forensics company Cyanre which was involved in the investigation took to social media to say This significant development underscores our nations commitment to combating cyber crime and safeguarding digital spacesppWe are proud of our team who played a pivotal role in managing the security breach demonstrating exceptional skill in identifying and tracing the suspects involved Their dedication and expertise were instrumental in bringing this case to a successful resolutionppWe extend our heartfelt gratitude to the investigating officer from the Hawks whose tireless efforts led to the swift arrest of the perpetrators Their unwavering commitment to justice has set a precedent for future cyber crime investigationsppAdditionally we acknowledge the invaluable support provided by the legal team at Clyde Co Their expert legal advice and guidance throughout the process were crucial in navigating the complexities of this caseppAccording to Cyanre this conviction marks a historic moment in South Africas fight against cyber crime highlighting the effectiveness of the Cyber Crimes Act and the collaborative efforts of all parties involvedppWe remain steadfast in our mission to protect individuals and organisations from cyber threats and to uphold the integrity of our digital infrastructure As we reflect on this achievement we are reminded of the importance of continued vigilance innovation and collaboration in the everevolving realm of cyber securityppSharepp ITWeb proudly displays the FAIR stamp of the Press Council of South Africa indicating our commitment to adhere to the Code of Ethics for Print and online media which prescribes that our reportage is truthful accurate and fair Should you wish to lodge a complaint about our news coverage please lodge a complaint on the Press Councils website wwwpresscouncilorgza or email the complaint to enquiriesombudsmanorgza Contact the Press Council on 011 4843612 p