Latest news with #Cottle
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Teen hopes to meet the driver he helped save from a car crash on Normandy Boulevard
A 17-year-old rescued a man trapped in a car after crashing into a tree. He told Action News Jax Nicholas Brooks how he helped save the driver. He said his only goal now is to meet the man in person to see how he's doing now. The front of the car was smashed after colliding with a tree on May 2nd on Normandy Boulevard, according to a police report. 'If nobody's over there, then who will help?' said 17-year-old Branden Cottle. That was the first thought that came into Branden Cottle's mind when he recorded the scene after witnessing the crash. 'I told my mom to pull over, but before she even had a chance, I jumped out, ran up, punched the window,' Cottle said. His effort didn't work until he used a window breaker. 'Luckily, with one hit with this, it bust a hole,' Cottle said. He removed the shattered glass to reach the driver, leaving wounds on his hand. He said other good Samaritans followed suit, helping to pull the man out of the car. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'His face was cut up and bleeding. He had a scratch mark on his hip. That's all we know besides the fact his leg was broken,' Cottle added. Cottle shared why he jumped into action without a second thought. 'I want to live with the fact that I at least can know that I helped someone.' According to the police report, the driver may have had a medical episode, causing him to crash into the tree. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] We found out that the driver's name is Brian Murphy. Cottle says his only goal is to meet him under better circumstances. 'At least to shake his hand and let me know if he's OK,' Cottle said. Action News Jax would like to help put the two in contact. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DOJ unseals charges against 'Anonymous' co-founder for 2021 Texas GOP data theft
The Department of Justice has unsealed charges against a man reported to be one of the co-founders of "hacktivist" collective Anonymous for allegedly hacking the Texas GOP website in 2021. Aubrey Cottle, 37, was arrested and charged in connection to the theft of data from the Texas Republican Party and the defacement of the party's official website on Sept. 11, 2021, according to federal court records unsealed last week. Cottle is a security researcher and co-founder of the worldwide hacking group Anonymous, according to records. The records alleged the hackers claimed to be with Anonymous and replaced the website's banner with cartoon characters, a music video and a pornographic image. The hackers also got unauthorized access to Texas GOP data, including personal identifying information that was distributed and made available online. Court records said Cottle claimed responsibility on social media and investigators found the stolen data in his possession. The FBI worked alongside the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada to execute a search warrant and gathered 20 terabytes worth of data from Cottle's home. Cottle was charged under Canadian law for "unlawfully transferring, possessing or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law." He faces up to five years in prison This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Anonymous' co-founder charged for 2021 Texas GOP data theft
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alleged Canadian hacker behind 2021 theft of Texas GOP and GiveSendGo user data in custody: DOJ
An alleged co-founder of the online hacker movement Anonymous has been taken into custody after a 2021 data breach targeting the Texas Republican Party. Aubrey Cottle, a 37-year-old Canadian national, is known professionally as "Kirtaner." The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Cottle with hacking into the Texas Republican Party's web server and stealing sensitive data in 2021. Cottle was arrested in Canada Wednesday, and authorities there are pursuing additional charges under Canadian law, the DOJ said. Canada Freedom Convoy: Givesendgo Demands Fbi Probe Hackers, Alleges 'Highly Coordinated' Political Doxing In Texas, Cottle faces charges of "unlawfully transferring, possessing or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law," according to a press release. Read On The Fox News App Cottle uses his LinkedIn profile to describe himself as a "Filthy blackhat but good boi." The same page shows Cottle as one of the founders of Anonymous, a decentralized hacker group aiming to breach governmental institutions in protest. "Yes, that one," Cottle wrote. "Hal Turner, Scientology, Guy Fawkes masks, you got it. Really. Google it." According to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas, Cottle gained unauthorized access to a third-party hosting company called "Epik" before defacing the Texas GOP's website. "Texas: Taking voices from women to promote theocratic erosion of church/state barriers," the Anonymous rewrite of the site's landing page said. The banner of the website was replaced with cartoon characters, a pornographic image and a music video. Hacker Group Anonymous Declares 'Total War' On Donald Trump The same release alleges Cottle stole a backup of the website's server containing personal identifying information. The stolen data was then posted online for public download. Prosecutors added Cottle even bragged about the breach on social media. Cottle's TikTok page's bio says "that Anonymous founder hacker guy you probably saw in the news or Vice or sumthn." According to the DOJ, data from the Texas Republican Party leak was discovered in a search on Cottle's personal electronic devices. The Anonymous group's breach of the website was allegedly pro-choice retaliation. In September 2021, the Lone Star State passed the Texas Heartbeat Act. Under the act, abortion is illegal past the point a fetal heartbeat can be detected, around five or six weeks of gestational age. Cottle has also been linked to a "political doxing" data breach of Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo in February 2022, after the platform hosted a fundraiser for the Canada Freedom Convoy. Names of donors, intended to remain private and secure on the platform, were publicized across the internet. GiveSendGo founder Jacob Wells spoke with Fox News Digital at the time of the breach. "This is illegal, and these people should be going to jail. The FBI — I mean, it's surprising that we haven't heard from any investigative services. We will be reaching out ourselves to just see that there's some investigation into this. This is completely unacceptable," Wells said. GiveSendGo has a crowdfunding campaign for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating Cottle's case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Karthik Srinivasan is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Cottle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: Alleged Canadian hacker behind 2021 theft of Texas GOP and GiveSendGo user data in custody: DOJ
Fox News
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Alleged Canadian hacker behind 2021 theft of Texas GOP and GiveSendGo user data in custody: DOJ
An alleged co-founder of the online hacker movement Anonymous has been taken into custody after a 2021 data breach targeting the Texas Republican Party. Aubrey Cottle, a 37-year-old Canadian national, is known professionally as "Kirtaner." The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Cottle with hacking into the Texas Republican Party's web server and stealing sensitive data in 2021. Cottle was arrested in Canada Wednesday, and authorities there are pursuing additional charges under Canadian law, the DOJ said. In Texas, Cottle faces charges of "unlawfully transferring, possessing or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law," according to a press release. Cottle uses his LinkedIn profile to describe himself as a "Filthy blackhat but good boi." The same page shows Cottle as one of the founders of Anonymous, a decentralized hacker group aiming to breach governmental institutions in protest. "Yes, that one," Cottle wrote. "Hal Turner, Scientology, Guy Fawkes masks, you got it. Really. Google it." According to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas, Cottle gained unauthorized access to a third-party hosting company called "Epik" before defacing the Texas GOP's website. "Texas: Taking voices from women to promote theocratic erosion of church/state barriers," the Anonymous rewrite of the site's landing page said. The banner of the website was replaced with cartoon characters, a pornographic image and a music video. The same release alleges Cottle stole a backup of the website's server containing personal identifying information. The stolen data was then posted online for public download. Prosecutors added Cottle even bragged about the breach on social media. Cottle's TikTok page's bio says "that Anonymous founder hacker guy you probably saw in the news or Vice or sumthn." According to the DOJ, data from the Texas Republican Party leak was discovered in a search on Cottle's personal electronic devices. The Anonymous group's breach of the website was allegedly pro-choice retaliation. In September 2021, the Lone Star State passed the Texas Heartbeat Act. Under the act, abortion is illegal past the point a fetal heartbeat can be detected, around five or six weeks of gestational age. Cottle has also been linked to a "political doxing" data breach of Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo in February 2022, after the platform hosted a fundraiser for the Canada Freedom Convoy. Names of donors, intended to remain private and secure on the platform, were publicized across the internet. GiveSendGo founder Jacob Wells spoke with Fox News Digital at the time of the breach. "This is illegal, and these people should be going to jail. The FBI — I mean, it's surprising that we haven't heard from any investigative services. We will be reaching out ourselves to just see that there's some investigation into this. This is completely unacceptable," Wells said. GiveSendGo has a crowdfunding campaign for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating Cottle's case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Karthik Srinivasan is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Cottle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anonymous hacker group ‘co-founder' arrested, tied to 2021 Texas GOP web hack
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Unsealed federal court records revealed 'a security researcher and co-founder of Anonymous,' which is a worldwide hacking group, has been arrested in Canada and accused of allegedly hacking the Texas GOP website ( on Sept. 11, 2021. According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, Aubrey Cottle, 37, is being charged with 'unlawfully transferring, possessing, or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law. No attorney has been listed for Cottle at this time. The charges were filed in Austin federal court. Federal records state the hackers claimed to be with the group known as 'Anonymous,' who replaced the website's banner with cartoon characters, a pornographic image, and a music video and gained unauthorized access to Texas GOP data. 'Cottle allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack on social media,' according to court records. Court records show the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Canada, to execute a search warrant at Cottle's residence, where they seized approximately 20 terabytes of data. A search of the digital evidence revealed Cottle was in possession of the data stolen from the Texas GOP, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. If convicted, Cottle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, according to the DOJ. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
