The attack would have occurred when Tomás Pedroso, or “Zambrius”, was under house arrest and using a mobile phone. He is currently awaiting an appeal against the sentence for other attacks against freedom.
Tomás Pedroso or “Zambrius”, the 22-year-old Portuguese hacker responsible for several computer attacks, was accused by the Brazilian Electoral Public Ministry (MPE) of invading the Brazilian Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) system during the 2020 municipal elections CNN Portugal is accused along with three other Brazilian hackers of invading computers, violating the electoral law and stealing data from the electoral system, as well as criminal association.
The MPE indictment reveals that the hacker group, in addition to accessing the system and stealing data, published this information on the internet. A month later, two of the hackers prevented voters from verifying their identity through their mobile phones in the e-Título application, which gives voters access to electoral information.
He was convicted but awaits appeal. He is free and, with internet access, he calls for attacks. Zambrius says that he hacks for “pleasure”
The MPE believes that the responsibility for the attacks is the group Cybterteam, led by the Portuguese, and Noias do Amazonas. The two groups allegedly cooperated with each other and are accused of promoting “disorders detrimental to electoral work” and interfering “with the proper delivery of relevant services to voters.” The attack was perpetrated by Tomás Pedroso when he was 19 years old and under house arrest, using only his cell phone.
As the Observer wrote, when asked by the Brazilian newspaper Estadão about the reasons that led him to attack the Superior Electoral Tribunal, the young man said that his “main objective was to demonstrate that the TSE remained vulnerable even after” the announcement of a decree of security. reinforcement And he denied any connection with supporters of Bolsonaro, at that time president of Brazil: “I am not involved in political acts, I am only involved in anti-government protests, I have never supported parties, governments or anything related to the government. ”
To CNN Portugal, in a written response, he now adds that he did not manipulate “any information, despite having obtained access to computers and databases of the multinational Oracle, in charge of the electoral process.” The young man was again imprisoned by the Judicial Police in November 2020, in a joint operation with the Brazilian authorities.
Exploitation of the operation. PJ arrests hacker who attacked Brazilian electoral court
He is currently free pending appeal of a six-year prison sentence. In January 2022, he had been convicted of 28 crimes of aggravated illegitimate access, misuse of data and computer damage, committed within a period of ten months. He is forced to appear before the authorities twice a week and cannot leave the country. In the midst of all this, he continues to claim attacks.
Several entities were targeted by the “Zambrius” attacks. For example, he accessed Benfica’s systems, having even provided the credentials of 114 club employees, and of Altice, from where he obtained confidential data, in 2020. He is also responsible for a cyberattack that affected the Global Media Group, owner of TSF o Diário de Notícias, and attacks on three branches of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Among others.
Fact review. Portuguese hacker who carried out a computer attack on a Brazilian court revealed fraud in the elections?
Tomás Pedroso founded Cyberteam, a group of hacktivists who “engage in the practice of activities related to the exploitation of vulnerabilities on websites, Portuguese public and private entities” and foreign “without any authorization from their owners”, according to a ruling by the Judicial Court of the District of Lisbon, as explained in detail by the Observer.
Source: Observadora
