Hacker targets state data after Yanez verdict
A hacker angered by last week’s verdict in the Jeronimo Yanez trial is claiming to have stolen a collection of email addresses and passwords from state of Minnesota computers.
Yanez, the police officer who shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year, was acquitted Friday by a Ramsey County jury.
Someone using the name Vigilance contacted Vice News to take credit for the hack. The person also provided the news organization a sample of the stolen data and an explanation for the action.
"I thought I had to do something against what I found to be unjust," the hacker told Vice News. "This was a failure of justice. And his family won't get the satisfaction of knowing the one who killed Philando is rightly punished. An innocent man died. And a guilty one lives freely."
Minnesota IT Services issued a statement confirming the attack but little else. The department said an investigation is underway.
“Minnesota IT Services’ security forensics team will share any relevant information with law enforcement for review for potential criminal activity,” the statement said.
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