19-year-old Canadian student is first person arrested for Heartbleed-related identity theft

 
When 19-year old Stephen Solis-Reyes exploited the Heartbleed vulnerability and illegally acquired 900 social insurance numbers, he did not foresee himself being labeled as the first newb to get caught. Being the first person arrested for any type of crime is a guaranteed way of becoming its poster boy and obtaining a Wikipedia aside for the rest of your life.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) apprehended the youth at his home in London, Ontario on Friday, April 11th, after the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) discovered he illegally breached their website to obtain identity related information.

The full extent of what was stolen, along with what Solis-Reyes proceeded to do with the information is yet to be determined; but, authorities are charging the young man with unauthorized use of computer and mischief in relation to data.

Contrary to popular belief, not all RCMP are mounted

With such an elusive bug as Heartbleed going under the radar for as long as it did, the question of “how was he caught in the first place?” inevitably arises. Although this is information has not been revealed, Solis-Reyes has been under investigation by the RCMP for four days before receiving his charges. His court hearing is set on July 17th, 2014.

So question going out to our readers: do you think Solis-Reyes’ crime was actually Heartbleed related, or is this label tacked on to quell public fears?

Via Reuters