The fake driver’s license is just one, and barely the worst of Alcasec’s crimes, but this one brought him under the police’s attention while driving a BMW.
The title image is a symbolic image.
How can a hacker issue himself a driver’s license? According to a report from the Spanish daily newspaper EL Mundo, the Spanish hacker José Luis Huertas Rubio, aka Alcasec, was arrested. But not for cybercrime, for which the now 21-year-old has been in conflict with the law since he was 15. At the end of September 2024, he was driving a borrowed BMW M4 around the center of Madrid. His aggressive manner caught the attention of the police. After a failed escape attempt, he was captured, and driving under the influence was added to the list of charges.
The explosive aspect aside from his behavior on the road is that Alcasec should not even be behind the wheel. He has never successfully passed a driving test but still has a real and valid driver’s license in his pocket.
Alcasec’s film-worthy acquired driver’s license
How did Alcasec get a driver’s license? Alcasec hacked into the computers of the state traffic authority several years ago. Here he ensured that a valid driver’s license with all the trimmings was printed and sent to him. To gain the necessary rights in the state system, he impersonated an agent of the Spanish intelligence service – almost like a criminal Q from James Bond.
Why isn’t his driver’s license simply taken away? Although it is undisputed that the driver’s license was obtained by criminal means, the 21-year-old continues to use it to this day. Because in the strict sense, it is not forged, as the state issued it. Several authorities are currently working to initiate appropriate procedures and to set in motion internal processes for revocation.
But the effort is enormous due to the special situation, and Alcasec can slow down the process with the help of lawyers. He has the right to participate and be heard repeatedly. His traffic offenses are also not sufficient under Spanish laws to permanently revoke the document in this manner.
What else is Alcasec being accused of? For several years, the man has regularly penetrated foreign systems and stolen data. With this, he has created a kind of “Google for stolen data” on a web server, as El Mundo reports. The hacker sells access to the system he calls “Udyat” to other criminals. He allegedly also used the illegal hack for the pseudo-legal driver’s license for friends of his and for pay for other individuals known to the authorities, as the accusations state.
Behind a seemingly qualified young software engineer hid a spy from a country perceived as hostile by the USA. He skillfully snuck in, but his impatience became his downfall. He could have caused enormous damage: The new colleague is a cybercriminal from North Korea: Company for computer security from the USA avoids attack
