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California Man Arrested for Hacking, Defacing Government Websites

Including websites for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and the NYC comptroller.

A 41-year-old California man was arrested on Thursday for hacking into government websites and “defacing” them under the pseudonym “AlfabetoVirtual,” according to a Justice Department press release. Billy Anderson, who was charged with three separate counts of computer fraud, “allegedly used specialized computer skills and knowledge to hack important U.S. military and government websites, as well as over 11,000 other websites around the world,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said. The hacked sites included ones for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and the New York City comptroller. “The contents of the NYC Comptroller website were modified to display the text ‘Hacked by AlfabetoVirtual,’ ‘#FREEPALESTINE’ and ‘#FREEGAZA,’” the press release says. Anderson faces a maximum of 21 years in prison.