Amazon Web Services security experts help DOJ stop cybercriminal group

Amazon Web Services helped the U.S. Department of Justice stop a cybercrime group that attacked hospitals, government facilities, and critical infrastructure in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, a federal grand jury indictment unsealed charges against two Sudanese nationals, part of the cybercriminals group “Anonymous Sudan” responsible for thousands of attacks around the world.

DOJ worked with security experts and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to find Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer, 22, and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer, 27.

Both were charged on one count of conspiracy to damage protected computers, DOJ wrote.

“Anonymous Sudan sought to maximize havoc and destruction against governments and businesses around the world by perpetrating tens of thousands of cyberattacks,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “This group’s attacks were callous and brazen—the defendants went so far as to attack hospitals providing emergency and urgent care to patients. My office is committed to safeguarding our nation’s infrastructure and the people who use it, and we will hold cyber criminals accountable for the grave harm they cause.”

“We were a bit surprised about how brazen they were, and by the ease with which they were impacting high profile targets,” said Tom Scholl, AWS VP and distinguished engineer. “They did it as a form of marketing their DDoS-as-a-service offerings, with rate cards and ways to contact them to sign up for purchasing DDoS services, everything.”

According to the DOJ, the group targeted the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the State Department, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Microsoft Corp, and various others around the country.

If convicted of all charges, Ahmed Salah would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison, and Alaa Salah would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

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