Two US contractors, Muneeb Akhter and Sohaib Akhter, who were previously convicted of hacking into the State Department's systems a decade ago, have once again found themselves in hot water with federal authorities. This time, however, their antics are being described as a "comedy of errors."
According to an indictment unsealed last week, Akhter and his brother Sohaib, both 34, were fired from their jobs just minutes before they allegedly attempted to steal and destroy government records by deleting databases and documents from three separate government agencies. The brothers worked for a contractor company in Washington D.C., which provides software and services to 45 US agencies.
The men's brazen attempt at cybercrime was hindered when one of them, Muneeb Akhter, turned to an AI chat tool for help covering his tracks. In a bizarre display of ineptitude, Akhter asked the AI "how do I clear system logs from SQL servers after deleting databases," only to be met with a response that likely further complicated matters rather than provided a solution.
Prosecutors say that despite their botched attempt at covering their tracks, they were able to gather evidence of discussions between the brothers in which they discussed removing incriminating evidence from their homes. Furthermore, the men allegedly wiped their employer-issued laptops by reinstalling the operating system just three days after being fired.
The allegations against Akhter and Sohaib are that they coordinated the cybercrime attempt, began carrying it out shortly after being fired, and even attempted to destroy records, all while lacking basic knowledge of database commands. Their reliance on an AI tool in a bid to cover up their alleged crimes only added to their ineptitude.
The case has raised eyebrows, particularly given that Akhter and Sohaib were previously convicted of similar crimes over a decade ago. While the exact circumstances surrounding this latest incident are still unclear, one thing is certain: the men's continued antics in the world of cybercrime have left authorities scratching their heads.
According to an indictment unsealed last week, Akhter and his brother Sohaib, both 34, were fired from their jobs just minutes before they allegedly attempted to steal and destroy government records by deleting databases and documents from three separate government agencies. The brothers worked for a contractor company in Washington D.C., which provides software and services to 45 US agencies.
The men's brazen attempt at cybercrime was hindered when one of them, Muneeb Akhter, turned to an AI chat tool for help covering his tracks. In a bizarre display of ineptitude, Akhter asked the AI "how do I clear system logs from SQL servers after deleting databases," only to be met with a response that likely further complicated matters rather than provided a solution.
Prosecutors say that despite their botched attempt at covering their tracks, they were able to gather evidence of discussions between the brothers in which they discussed removing incriminating evidence from their homes. Furthermore, the men allegedly wiped their employer-issued laptops by reinstalling the operating system just three days after being fired.
The allegations against Akhter and Sohaib are that they coordinated the cybercrime attempt, began carrying it out shortly after being fired, and even attempted to destroy records, all while lacking basic knowledge of database commands. Their reliance on an AI tool in a bid to cover up their alleged crimes only added to their ineptitude.
The case has raised eyebrows, particularly given that Akhter and Sohaib were previously convicted of similar crimes over a decade ago. While the exact circumstances surrounding this latest incident are still unclear, one thing is certain: the men's continued antics in the world of cybercrime have left authorities scratching their heads.
... I mean, can you believe they thought an AI chat tool was gonna help them out? 
It's like, they're trying to be some sort of superheroes but really they just look like clumsy amateurs trying to cover their tracks. And the fact that they asked for help from a tool and still got it wrong is just laughable 
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. It's like, basic knowledge of database commands? Come on guys! You should've known better. And now they're facing another round of consequences for their actions 
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. Maybe we can all learn from their mistakes and be more mindful of our online activities? 
Just saying...
so they get fired and then try to cover their tracks with an AI chat tool? it's like they thought that was gonna magically erase all evidence 
what's more embarrassing is that the AI just gave them bad advice lol anyway, i'm surprised they didn't think this one through before acting 
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and using an AI tool to try and cover their tracks is just laughable 
. And let's be real, wiping their laptops just three days after being fired was the perfect plan for covering their tracks 
they were fired like mins before they tried to pull off this fancy hacking stunt & what do they do? ask an AI for help lol, it was like they wanted us to know how incompetent they are 
? newsflash: the robots ain't gonna help u out of this mess 
But seriously, the fact that they thought asking an AI for help would make them harder to catch is just laughable 
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. You'd think they'd learn from their past mistakes, but nope. It's like they're trying to relive the same embarrassing moment over and over again 
. I guess you could say their latest attempt at cybercrime has turned into a comedy of errors – but it's not funny for the victims who lost trust in them 
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. And we need to hold our contractors accountable when they fail us like this 
The only thing more surprising is how quickly they got caught 
. And can we talk about how hilarious it is that Muneeb Akhter asked the AI for help covering his tracks? Like, did he really think that was going to work? 
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. And their boss fires them MINUTES before they try to steal government records... that's some next-level bad planning right there 
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. Anyway, this case is definitely a wild ride 
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