Kentucky inmates hacked tablets and stole more than 1$ million in digital assets

Hundreds of inmates in the state of Kentucky hacked into tablets issued to them at the prison and stole more than 1$ million worth of digital assets. They used the funds to buy online privileges such as video games, music and credits for video chats with family.

A group of inmates in Kentucky carried out a large-scale digital fraud by hacking tablets issued to them by the prison administration. They were able to hack an app on tablets that allowed them to create and deposit virtual funds into their accounts without actually using real money. They then used these digital funds to purchase various services and goods, such as video games, music, movies, as well as e-mail and video chat credits.

In a short time, inmates have accumulated more than $1 million, buying video games, music and even video chat credits to connect with family. The fraud was only discovered after prison officials received an anonymous tip in early January 2023, in which an anonymous tip informing them that inmates were hacking tablets and illegally creating and using digital funds.

However, despite attempts to recover the funds, a large part of the money remained unreimbursed. Securus Technologies, a Texas-based company that developed tablets and software, failed to respond quickly to the breach, allowing the fraud to continue for several months.