The Iceman Hacks (2006) was a case in which Max Ray Butler, also known as Iceman, used hacking to steal financial information. In this case, Max Ray Butler hacked into various websites that contained personal information. Max Butler Ray hacked into several credit card processing centers and other financial institutions such as the Pentagon Federal Credit Union to steal credit card information. Additionally, Iceman hacked into various carder websites. Cyber criminals used these websites to buy and sell personal information such as credit cards and social security numbers. After hacking into these websites, Max Butler Ray absorbed the data from the website. Iceman collected credit card and social security information from these carder websites. Additionally, he collected the account information of those who used the carder websites and made these websites inaccessible. Max Ray Butler created his own carder website with his accomplice Christopher Aragon. After two days of retrieving this information and inputting it into his own carder website, CardersMarket.com, Max Ray Butler emailed the members of the now inaccessible carder websites. Under the name Iceman, Max Ray Butler informed the people whose accounts he had hacked into that they were now members of CardersMarket.com. By recruiting these people to his carding website, Max Ray Butler created a carding network composed of around 6,000 experienced cyber criminals.  

After an extended period of investigation, the FBI was able to track this case to Christopher Aragon. Aragon’s records and relations with Max Ray Butler and other hackers allowed the FBI to track Max Ray Butler. Once the FBI became aware of Iceman’s location in San Francisco, the FBI found Iceman by tracking the IP addresses of visitors to CardersMarket.com. On September 5, 2007, Max Ray Butler was arrested by six United States Secret Service agents. A search of Max Ray Butler’s computer revealed over 1.8 million stolen credit cards. The Secret Service also discovered that the value of fraudulent charges made on these credit cards was worth $86.4 million.  

Max Ray Butler pleaded guilty to stealing credit cards and making fraudulent charges on these accounts. In federal court in Pittsburgh, Butler was sentenced to thirteen years in prison. Max Ray Butler’s punishment also included an order to $27.5 million upon his conviction of wire fraud charges. Following his release, Max Ray Butler was also punished with five years under supervision. 

To avoid being similarly victimized, one must take precautions to ensure the security of personal information. This can be done by installing anti-virus software and firewalls on computers. One should also be aware of social engineering, such as phishing, to prevent sharing information with cyber-criminals online. To avoid spreading personal information online, one should use strong passwords that contain a variety of characters. To increase cybersecurity, it is important to only share personal information with trusted, legitimate, and secure websites. One should also frequently update software to avoid security vulnerabilities. By taking security precautions, it is possible to increase cybersecurity and avoid being victimized by cyber-criminals. 

Sources: 

“How Iceman’s Epic 48-Hour Hack Resulted in the Reign of Cardersmarket.com.” Medium, Mr. Krüger’s Crypto, 12 May 2018, https://medium.com/mr-kr%C3%BCgers-world-of-crypto/how-icemans-epic-48-hour-hack-resulted-in-the-reign-of-cardersmarket-com-9f8b0eb48f7f.  

Kaspersky. “8 Ways to Protect Your Credit Card Online.” Www.kaspersky.com, 11 May 2022, https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/protect-your-credit-card-online.  

Sundar, Venkatesh. “The 12 Most Notorious Hacks History: Indusface Blog.” Indusface, 28 Mar. 2017, https://www.indusface.com/blog/12-notorious-hacks-history/.  

Vijayan, Jaikumar. “’Iceman’ Pleads Guilty to Massive Computer Hacking.” Network World, Computerworld, 30 June 2009, https://www.networkworld.com/article/2258801/-iceman–pleads-guilty-to-massive-computer-hacking.html.  

“‘Iceman’ Computer Hacker Receives 13-Year Prison Sentence.” FBI, FBI, 26 June 2011, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/pittsburgh/press-releases/2010/pt021210b.htm.