In 2017, an infamous hacking group called 'The Dark Overload' leaked episodes of Netflix TV series Orange Is the New Black. Aside from that, the group was also popular for its computer fraud of other well-known U.S. companies. One of its members faces charges of up to five years in prison due to these acts. 

'The Dark Overload' faces charges

Engadget reported one of the members of the infamous hacking group 'The Dark Overload' has recently been sentenced for five years in prison. 

A United States district judge made the plea, charging British national Nathan Wyatt as a hacking group member. Last year, he was extradited from the United Kingdom to the country for targeting several U.S. companies. 

"The Dark Overlord has victimized innumerable employers in the United States, many of them repeatedly. I am grateful to the victims who came forward despite ransom threats and to the prosecutors and agents who were the first to catch and punish a member of The Dark Overlord in the United States," concluded by U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen of the Eastern District of Missouri. 

Wyatt pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and computer fraud. Their victims usually include healthcare and accounting companies in Missouri. 

The group reportedly gains access to the company's database and steal sensitive data, such as patient medical records and personal identifying information. 

Once they got this information, the group contacts their victim companies and let them pay for ransom if they want the info to be not leaked online. 

The Dark Overload group uses bitcoin ransom to get money worth $75,000 to $350,000. 

Remember the Orange Is the New Black hacking group?

If the name sounds familiar, well, because it was also the infamous hacker of the popular Netflix TV series Orange Is the New Black. 

In 2017, Variety reported that the same hacking group stole the never-before-seen episodes from the show's fifth season. It was a remarkable event since the women's prison-based TV series was so popular at the time. 

To get the stolen episodes, the post-production company of the Netflix show Larson Studios paid 50 bitcoins or worth $50,000. 

However, since the studio company reported the crime to the FBI, The Dark Overload group decided to get the ransom money and still leaked the episodes at the same time. 

The group said that they honor the agreement with their victims, and one violation of that is when they call authorities. 

"We found Larson Studios was in great delinquency of the agreement after sources confirmed law enforcement cooperation," the group said at the time. "Our agreement provides us the right to execute harmful action against any client who defrauds our agreement."

ALSO READ: WordPress World-Wide Hacking Spree Begins With The Plugin Bug that Uploads Malicious Files

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Written by Jamie Pancho 

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