NEW YORK (WABC) — Not a month goes by without hearing about another online data breach. It has become a way of life. Billions of dollars are lost to cybercrime each year.
Many of the people behind the hacking of personal information are now teenagers and that includes crimes that have happened in the Tri-State.
Eyewitness News teamed up with ABC News and obtained Ring camera footage that shows the moment FBI agents arrested Conor Fitzpatrick on the front porch of his home in Peekskill, New York.
Federal prosecutors said he was a teenager when he first founded one of the world’s largest online hacker forums — a place for cyber criminals to buy, sell and trade stolen data.
Federal agents found Fitzpatrick by tracking the IP address of his computer.
“Everything is online now and so the more we expose ourselves in that area, the more vulnerable we get, and the more profitable that information is,” said Nathan Oubre, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office.
Fitzpatrick took a plea deal and is now serving three years in prison.
“I knew I was cooked,” said Matthew Lane.
Even after word of Fitzpatrick’s arrest spread in cyber circles, Lane, a now convicted computer hacker in Massachusetts said he couldn’t stop hacking.
“I was addicted, not only to drugs but to hacking,” said Lane. “That gave me the most natural high ever.”
Prosecutors say Lane was one of the people behind the 2024 hack of PowerSchool which is education software used by schools across the country.
The data of more than 60 million students and staff was potentially compromised, including data ranging from dates of birth, Social Security numbers to medical information.
In New York City alone, more than 3,400 students and more than 300 staff members were affected.
“I took their sense of security and being,” said Lane.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, PowerSchool said:
“Over the past year, we’ve dedicated ourselves to supporting customers throughout our investigation, which concluded in March 2025 with a public incident report. The key learnings from that report inform everything that we do at PowerSchool as we continue to prioritize and protect the customers, communities, and individuals that we serve. Going forward, PowerSchool will continue to invest in advanced security technologies and collaborate with school districts, privacy experts, and regulators to ensure our practices meet the highest standards of student data protection.”
ABC News spoke with Lane just days before he reported to prison for a four-year sentence.
“I’m so thankful I got caught, I really am, that stuff affected me like so bad,” said Lane.
He’s not alone.
In the past six years, the Justice Department has secured the conviction of more than 180 cybercriminals of all ages and court orders for the return of more than 350 million in victim funds.
The average age for someone arrested for a crime in the U.S. is about 37 years old. The average age of someone arrested for cybercrime is 19.
“This generation is much more online, much more tech savvy, it’s the more familiar tool for them,” said Special Agent in Charge Oubre.
As for Lane, he said he started out with online gaming and an interest in computer programming. That’s what he was studying in college when he was arrested for his hacking.
“It was disgusting, it was greedy, it was rooted in my own insecurities,” said Lane.
But as for his victims, their information’s out there. It could be exploited years after he’s released from prison.
“The punishment is severe, you will go to jail,” said Oubre.
ABC’s coverage of the issue continues with a nationwide look at the issue on Tuesday night’s Nightline. That includes warning signs for parents, tips to protect information, and a look into what’s called ethical hacking – trying to turn potential hackers into using their skills for good.
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