Is This Computer Geek a Hacker Who Harassed an FBI Agent Or a Hero Trying to Secure the Internet?

Justin Shafer searches the Internet for public, unsecured computer servers that store confidential patient medical information.So does a mysterious cybercriminal group called TheDarkOverlord, which holds such data for a ransom paid out in Bitcoin.Shafer and TheDarkOverlord have communicated via social media. But Shafer’s supporters say he’s trying to expose the hacking group and protect patient data that companies carelessly store on vulnerable servers.The FBI thinks otherwise. Agents in Dallas have raided his North Richland Hills home twice, and the Atlanta FBI office was investigating him as a possible co-conspirator of TheDarkOverlord as of March 31, according to an FBI affidavit.But Shafer, 37, is behind bars in the Dallas area not because he is accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The 37-year-old computer technician is charged in federal court with cyber stalking for the alleged online harassment of a Dallas FBI agent who investigated him.  Continue reading...