Teen TalkTalk hacker accused of cryptocurrency fraud in US

Elliott Gunton, one of the hackers who breached the systems of internet service provider (ISP) TalkTalk in 2015, faces extradition to the US to answer new charges relating to a cryptocurrency fraud that could result in a 20-year gaol term.

The charges, which include wire fraud and identity theft, according to the BBC, were filed in San Francisco and relate to a 2017 breach of the EtherDelta cryptocurrency exchange through its host, Cloudshare. One customer is thought to have lost around $800,000 in the attack.

Gunton was one of a number of people from around the UK arrested in the wake of the October 2015 TalkTalk hack, which compromised the personal data of 150,000 broadband and telecoms customers of the firm. Gunton was 16 at the time.

The fall-out from the attack was substantial, trashing TalkTalk’s reputation among consumers, and resulting in substantial fines from the Information Comissioner’s Office (ICO).

As recently as May 2019, TalkTalk was forced to admit new…