A member of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) was arrested this week for allegedly breaking into restricted databases to collect personal information for thousands of people.
Yehuda Katz, an auxiliary deputy inspector from Brooklyn, is accused of a scheme in which he posed as a lawyer and promised to help victims of traffic accidents with potential legal claims.
{mosads}Katz contacted thousands of accident victims after he gained access to their information by allegedly installing an electronic device that gave him remote access to NYPD computers.
According to the NYPD, he logged into restricted databases using stolen credentials and ran thousands of queries to harvest data. One of the systems he allegedly breached is run by the FBI.
“As alleged, Katz illegally accessed sensitive law enforcement computer systems for his own personal gain. This type of behavior betrays the public’s trust and cannot be tolerated,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez in a statement.
The case highlights the cybersecurity threat sometimes faced by organizations from their own employees. Companies and law enforcement agencies with databases of sensitive information are increasingly vigilant about the possibility of breaches from inside their offices.
If Katz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.