DOJ charges hacker for 2021 Texas GOP website defacement | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Prosecutors have charged Aubrey Cottle, an early member of the hacktivist group Anonymous, for the defacement.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/department-of-justice-charges-hacker-aubrey-cottle-texas-republican-website-defacement\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DOJ charges hacker for 2021 Texas GOP website defacement\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prosecutors have charged Aubrey Cottle, an early member of the hacktivist group Anonymous, for the defacement.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/department-of-justice-charges-hacker-aubrey-cottle-texas-republican-website-defacement\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:publisher\" 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ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--event js-stickybar\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__details\" readability=\"5.12\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__info js-sticky-bar-content\" readability=\"32\">\n<p>Nominations can be submitted for the 2025 CyberScoop 50 awards!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <a class=\"stickybar__link button button-tertiary\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cyberscoop50\/\">Click here!<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.595882352941\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"33.163043478261\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/department-of-justice-charges-hacker-aubrey-cottle-texas-republican-website-defacement\/\"> <span>Uncategorized<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Aubrey Cottle allegedly gained access to the Texas GOP\u2019s website through a breach of its hosting provider. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/84036\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement-2.jpg 7776w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, 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https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> A Texas delegate holds up a sign as US Representative from Texas Monica De La Cruz speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. Days after he survived an assassination attempt Donald Trump won formal nomination as the Republican presidential candidate and picked Ohio US Senator J.D. Vance for running mate. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon \/ AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"44.853493613824\"><body readability=\"89.667613636364\"><\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice unsealed charges against Canadian citizen Aubrey Cottle, a hacker who goes by the handle \u201cKirtaner,\u201d for a 2021 incident that resulted in the defacement of the Texas Republican Party\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have charged Cottle, an early member of the hacktivist group Anonymous, for the defacement, as well as downloading contents from an Apache backup web server owned by the Texas GOP that contained personal information. That information was later released publicly via BitTorrent as a 180-gigabyte file of stolen data.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2021, the official website of the Republican Party of Texas was defaced, with the front page replaced with text like \u201cJET FUEL DOESN\u2019T MELT STEEL\u201d (a reference to a decades-old 9\/11-related conspiracy theory), \u201cBUSH LIED, PEOPLE DIED\u201d and \u201cTrans demon hackers are coming to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to a redacted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25874444-cottle-v-us-redacted-complaint\/\">complaint<\/a>, the bureau identified one IP address that downloaded 100% of the stolen data over BitTorrent, a Bell Canada customer who was identified as Cottle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Cottle allegedly gained access to the Texas GOP\u2019s website through a breach of its hosting provider, Epik, and investigators appear to have relied on Cottle\u2019s bragging on social media to prove his involvement in the hack and gather additional evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, a TikTok user named \u201ckirtaner\u201d posted videos with \u201can individual believed by the FBI to be Cottle based on his appearance and screen name\u201d taking credit for the hack against Epik.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI used those videos to subpoena records from a Discord channel Cottle had created in 2005. In September 2021, he allegedly posted on that channel \u201cOH I GAVE THE CHILDREN THE SQLI EXPLOIT VULN GAB CODE ALREADY,\u201d later adding \u201cwhen it hits you\u2019ll never see it attributed to me but\u2026 epik hosting\u2019s f\u2014ed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cottle was charged with identity theft. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>A request for comment sent to the Texas Republican Party and Epik were not immediately returned.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A search warrant issued for Cottle\u2019s home by the Ontario Provincial Police resulted in the seizure of 20 terabytes of data, including emails sent by one his accounts in February 2021 claiming to have root access to Epik\u2019s network along with its virtual machines, web domains and customer data. The email told the unknown sender to \u201cdelete this message after reading.\u201d Another screenshot details an email sent by the same account on Sept. 9, 2021 with the subject line \u201coops I control the Texas GOP.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A solid-state drive seized from Cottle\u2019s home contained a file folder titled \u201cEpikFailYouLostTheGame\u201d that contained personal data, including from the Texas GOP website.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2022, seemingly aware that law enforcement was on his trail, Cottle posted in the same channel to address the \u201cfbi agents reading my discord logs,\u201d defending the hack as an act of political activism against far-right extremism.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2022, Cottle, who has a history of taking public credit for hacks, <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/canadian-hacker-aubrey-cottle-raid\/\">told<\/a> CyberScoop that Ontario police raided his home on Aug. 30 and \u201ctook all my equipment (multiple pcs, storage devices, phones, servers, NAS) and bagged my guy fawkes mask as evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Epik, he said, was \u201cknown for providing services to websites that host far-right, neoNazi, and other extremist content\u201d and claimed the stolen data \u201chas allowed researchers and journalists to discover links between far-right websites, groups, and individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"4\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. 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{"id":7497,"date":"2025-03-31T14:33:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T19:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=84036"},"modified":"2025-03-31T14:33:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T19:33:07","slug":"doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/03\/31\/doj-charges-hacker-for-2021-texas-gop-website-defacement\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ charges hacker for 2021 Texas GOP website defacement"},"content":{"rendered":"