A cyber crook illegally accessed the details of hundreds of thousands of people after hacking the websites of 17 big firms including Sainsburys, Uber and Just Eat, the website Kent Online writes. Grant West, 25, admitted illegally obtaining the details of 165,000 Just Eat customers' accounts alone in a bid to sell them on the 'dark web' for Bitcoins.
No financial details were obtained, but a court heard it cost Just Eat £210,000 alone in mitigation costs.
West hacked the 17 websites, which included Ladbrokes, Asda, T Mobile, Argos, Coral, Groupon and Nectar, by "brute force attacks" using the software Sentry MBA.
He also plotted to defraud companies by obtaining customer data, such as email addresses and passwords, known as "Fullz" - or full credentials - to sell on the dark web using his profile named 'courvoisier'.
West even tried to sell cannabis online while he was on bail awaiting trial for the Just Eat fraud, Southwark Crown Court heard.
When police arrested him in August and September this year they found he had £25,000 in cash and a significant amount of Bitcoins.
He converted his criminal proceeds into Bitcoin, which he moved around internationally.
West, who lives in Plough Road in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, admitted a string of charges of conspiracy to defraud, computer hacking, money laundering and drugs offences.
