Jordanian Admits in US Court to Selling Access to 50 Enterprise Networks

A Jordanian national has pleaded guilty in a US court to selling unauthorized access to compromised enterprise networks after an undercover agent caught him red-handed. The defendant, Feras Khalil Ahmad Albashiti, 40, a resident of the Republic of Georgia, offered access to the computer networks of at least 50 organisations and used the online moniker ‘r1z’ on an underground forum.

In May 2023, Albashiti sold the unauthorized access to the 50 victim corporate networks to an undercover officer who had infiltrated the forum, and he received payment in cryptocurrency, according to documents presented in court. Albashiti was arrested in Georgia and extradited to the US in July 2024, and last week he pled guilty to “fraud and related activity in connection with access credentials,” according to the US Department of Justice.

If found guilty at sentencing, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gains or losses from his illicit activities, with sentencing scheduled for 11 May.