U.S. charges 21-year-old Swiss "hacktivist" for security-camera theft and leaks

The Justice Department has charged a Swiss hacker with computer intrusion and identity theft, just over a week after the hacker took credit for helping to break into the online systems of a U.S. security-camera startup. An indictment against 21-year-old Till Kottmann was brought Thursday by a grand jury in the Seattle-based Western District of Washington.

Federal prosecutors said Thursday that Kottmann, of Lucerne, Switzerland, was initially charged in September. The range of allegations date back to 2019 and involve stealing credentials and data and publishing source code and proprietary information from more than 100 entities, including companies and government agencies. Kottmann had described the most recent hack and leak of camera footage from customers of California security-camera provider Verkada as part of a "hacktivist" cause of exposing the dangers of mass surveillance.