Half Life 2 cracker tried to lure in the USA

    As it became known, the FBI again tried to apply the old trick with creating a false job and inviting a foreign hacker to the country, allegedly for negotiations on hiring, after which he was immediately arrested. If in 2001 Russian hackers became victims of special services (they came for an interview at a fake startup Invita), then the German cracker Axel 'Ago' Gembe managed to avoid their unfortunate fate. If anyone doesn’t remember, back in 2003 Axel had a hand in stealing the source code of the still-out shooter Half-Life 2.

    Gamb hacked the corporate system of the development company Valve Software, obtained the sources and posted them to file-sharing networks. Five years ago, this story received a wide response and became one of the main scandals of the year in the gaming industry. Wired Magazinepublished details of the special operation, and also posted FBI correspondence with the German police on the case (she leaked to the press in Germany).

    The Americans worked in the same way. Initially, they did not know the identity of the hacker, but only his anonymous e-mail (he sent an email to Valve). On the advice of the FBI, Valve began correspondence with Gemb, who expressed interest in finding a job at the company. In the process of correspondence with the “Clujs,” the letters revealed the place of residence and the real name of the hacker (apparently, he relaxed and sent some letters from his home computer).

    In March 2004, Valve employees organized a 40-minute telephone interview with Gemb, during which he confirmed his name, described in detail the process of obtaining root rights on a corporate network using remote CGI exploits and other software. After that, the 21-year-old Gemb sent his resume to the company.

    Valve managers handed over the resume to the special services and invited Gemba to an in-person meeting, promising to pay all expenses: tickets, accommodation and meals for the duration of the trip, as well as expenses for changing the place of residence (a standard condition for the gaming business).

    However, for some reason Gemb did not peck at the bait, so the FBI handed the case over to his German colleagues, and as a result, the hacker was convicted under much milder German laws.

    However, the Americans still have not forgotten Gemb (he is still mentioned in their lists of criminals), so that when he enters the United States, he will be instantly arrested.

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