Cracking the code: How the FBI stung two Irish hackers

When a US court charged two Irish students in their absence for their alleged involvement in some of the world’s most notorious hacking scandals, the FBI’s New York field office issued a release highlighting the international nature of the investigation and all the forces involved on either side of the Atlantic.

It was an operation which relied heavily on intercontinental co-operation. Indeed, the first Birr native and Trinity College student, Donncha O’Cearrbhail, knew of the operation being mounted against him when he was arrested by gardaí in the midlands last September.

An examination of the evidence against the culprits makes it is clear that FBI intelligence — with a massive degree of luck — was the driving force behind the arrests. Intelligence was certainly key to tracking down the alleged leader of the hackers, Hector Xavier Monsegur.