US indicts Canadians Roach and Stubbings in university hacking case
Prosecutors allege Ryan James Roach and Mathiew James Stubbings stole data and login credentials and used university computers to mine cryptocurrency.
In this article
A US federal grand jury has indicted Canadians Ryan James Roach and Mathiew James Stubbings on charges stemming from alleged intrusions at multiple universities between June 2016 and December 2019. Prosecutors allege they stole data and login credentials and installed software that used the institutions’ computers to mine cryptocurrency.
The charges are conspiracy to obtain information from and cause damage to protected computers, obtaining information from a protected computer, and intentionally damaging a protected computer. Each defendant faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
How the alleged intrusions worked
The institutions were in New York, Tennessee, North Carolina and Massachusetts, according to court documents cited by BleepingComputer. The report does not name the institutions or give a total number of victims.
The defendants allegedly registered virtual private servers—remotely hosted computers—in several countries under false names. The Justice Department said the servers sent malicious and mining software to victim computers and stored stolen login credentials.
The department said the pair targeted institutions with supercomputers, used a server and compromised computers from another victim to conceal their identities, and explored networks to expand their access. Prosecutors also allege they damaged at least 10 computers over one year, causing losses of at least $5,000.
The proceedings
Roach was extradited from Canada on 28 October 2026 and arraigned before a detention hearing on 3 November. Stubbings is to be arraigned after his extradition from Canada.
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