Paige Adele Thompson Biography
Paige Adele Thompson is the suspect accused of hacking into Capital One’s system, accessing credit card applications and compromising the personal data of more than 100 million people. Capital One revealed the data breach in a news release on July 29, 2019.
Paige A Thompson Software Engineer
According to a resume on Scribd, Thompson is a Software engineer who attended Bellevue Community College but did not graduate. She worked for Amazon as a systems engineer in 2015 and 2016. She also lists prior jobs as a software engineer at companies including ATG Stores Inc, ConnectXYZLLC and Seattle Software Systems.
Paige A Thompson Capital One
On July 29, 2019, Capital One revealed that they had been a massive data breach between March and July of 2019. The bank added that it does not appear that the hacker had used the stolen information for fraudulent purposes, but investigators will continue to look into it. Paige was later identified as the hacker.
If you want to learn more about the Capital One cyber incident, please visit https://t.co/8jTV9E6Lit
— Capital One (@CapitalOne) July 30, 2019
The bank explained that the data breach impacted more than 100 million credit card applications in the United States and another 6 million in Canada. It’s also estimated that approximately 140,000 Social Security numbers were compromised. The bank account numbers of about 80,000 customers were also put at risk.
Capital One explained in a news release that the “largest category of information accessed was information on consumers and small businesses as of the time they applied for one of our credit card products from 2005 through early 2019. This information included personal information Capital One routinely collects at the time it receives credit card applications, including names, addresses, zip codes/postal codes, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, and self-reported income.”
The bank CEO, Richard Fairbank apologized on behalf of the bank due to the worrying incidence.
“While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened. I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.”
Capital One said data from about 100 million people in the U.S. was illegally accessed after prosecutors accused a Seattle woman of breaking into the bank’s server https://t.co/qfg3o4s0Su
— Bloomberg (@business) July 29, 2019
Paige A Thompson Arrest
On July 29, 2019 Thompson was arrested by FBI agents in Seattle. The FBI investigators tracked her down via various online platforms. The FBI investigators obtained a warrant to search Paige Adele Thompson’s home in Seattle.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI honed in on Thompson after “information obtained from the obtrusion” was found on a GitHub page with Thompson’s name attached to it. This was after a tipster emailed Capital One on July 17, 2019, to alert them to the post. The message included a link to a file, that was confirmed to contain information for getting into Capital One systems.
The complaint added that Thompson often used the alias “erratic” on message boards and other online platforms. This served as another clue for investigators in tracking her online movements.
Some of the online platforms that investigators uncovered that appeared to lead to Paige Adele Thompson included; the original GitHub profile linked to a GitLab page, which included Thompson’s resume.
Investigators also uncovered a Meetup group, a Slack channel and a Twitter account all affiliated with Thompson. The user “erratic” posted on the Slack channel on June 26, 2019, a list of files they possessed.
Investigators seized several digital devices from Thompson’s bedroom. The complaint explained that “during the initial search of some of these devices, agents observed files and items that referenced Capital One and the Cloud Computing Company, other entities that may have been the targets of attempted or actual network intrusions, and “erratic,” the alias associated with Paige A. Thompson.”
Paige A Thompson Charges
Thompson was charged with computer fraud and abuse. The judge ordered that she remain behind bars until a bail hearing is held on August 1. If convicted she faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 if convicted.
Paige Adele Thompson Bragged About The Hack
The complaint states in the criminal complaint that Thompson appeared to brag about the information she had accessed related to Capital One. The FBI agent wrote that Thompson had “made statements on social media fora evidencing the fact that she has information of Capital One, and that she recognizes that she has acted illegally.”
In one message written on June 27, Thompson wrote; “I wanna get it off my server that’s why Im archiving all of it lol … it’s all encrypted… I gotta find somewhere to store it.”
Also, a screengrab from Twitter post allegedly written by Thompson on June 18 stated; “I’ve basically strapped myself with a bomb vest, f*cking dropping capitol ones dox and admitting it.” She then adds that she had social security numbers, along with full names and birth dates.
Paige Thompson Linkedin
In a now-deleted LinkedIn page, Paige listed her occupation as Owner/software engineer at Netcrave.
