Cybercriminals face risks when they become complacent, leading to operational security failures. The case of Kai West illustrates this, as his alleged actions caused around $25 million in damages while he sought to profit from data sales. Following his arrest in France, US authorities aim to extradite him for prosecution. Investigators tracked West by purchasing stolen data and tracing it to his identifiable Bitcoin wallet. His use of KYC-verified platforms has also led to further evidence against him, showcasing the pitfalls of poor operational security in cybercrime.
West is accused of seeking to collect at least $2 million from sales of company data during that same period. A small chunk of that sum ($250) belongs to federal investigators, and was used to track him down.
According to US authorities, who allege West is notorious data thief IntelBroker, between 2023 and 2025 the online attacker caused around $25 million worth of damage to the companies he and his friends breached.
Collection
[
|
...
]