What's happened
Jesse Kipf, a 39-year-old from Kentucky, was sentenced to 81 months in prison for hacking into state death registries to fake his own death and evade over $116,000 in child support payments. He also committed identity theft and attempted to sell access to stolen networks on the dark web. This case highlights significant cybersecurity concerns.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Jessica Kwong from Metro, Kipf's scheme involved accessing the Hawaii Death Registry and falsely certifying his death using a physician's digital signature. The US Attorney's Office emphasized the cynical nature of his actions, stating, 'This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations.' Ramon Antonio Vargas from The Guardian noted that Kipf's actions resulted in his registration as deceased in multiple databases, showcasing the extent of his fraud. Ashley Belanger from Ars Technica highlighted that Kipf attempted to sell access to stolen networks on the dark web, indicating a broader pattern of cybercriminal behavior. This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and the potential consequences of identity theft.
How we got here
In January 2023, Jesse Kipf accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System using stolen credentials to create a false case for his death. This was part of a scheme to avoid paying child support, which he owed to his ex-wife since their divorce in 2008. His actions led to multiple registrations of his death across various government databases.
More on these topics
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Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the Southern United States. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States.
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.