Aubrey Cottle, a 37-year-old Canadian national known as "Kirtaner," has been taken into custody by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with a 2021 data breach targeting the Texas Republican Party.

Cottle is accused of hacking into the party's web server and stealing sensitive data, including personal identifying information.

A Connected History: Cottle's Ties to Anonymous

Cottle uses his LinkedIn profile to describe himself as a "Filthy blackhat but good boi." He also claims to be one of the founders of Anonymous, a decentralized hacker group that aims to breach governmental institutions in protest.

"Yes, that one," Cottle wrote. "Hal Turner, Scientology, Guy Fawkes masks, you got it. Really. Google it."

The Breach: How It Happened and Why

Cottle allegedly gained unauthorized access to a third-party hosting company called Epik before defacing the Texas GOP's website.

"Texas: Taking voices from women to promote theocratic erosion of church/state barriers," the Anonymous rewrite of the site's landing page said.

The banner of the website was replaced with cartoon characters, a pornographic image, and a music video.

A Public Statement: Cottle's Confession

Prosecutors allege that Cottle stole a backup of the website's server containing personal identifying information, which he then posted online for public download.

Cottle even bragged about the breach on social media, with his TikTok page's bio reading "that Anonymous founder hacker guy you probably saw in the news or Vice or sumthn."

A Larger Scheme? The GiveSendGo Breach

According to the DOJ, data from the Texas Republican Party leak was discovered in a search on Cottle's personal electronic devices.

Cottle has also been linked to a "political doxing" data breach of Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo in February 2022, after the platform hosted a fundraiser for the Canada Freedom Convoy.

Names of donors, intended to remain private and secure on the platform, were publicized across the internet.

A Response from GiveSendGo

"This is illegal, and these people should be going to jail. The FBI — I mean, it's surprising that we haven't heard from any investigative services. We will be reaching out ourselves to just see that there's some investigation into this. This is completely unacceptable," said Jacob Wells, founder of GiveSendGo.

A Look Ahead: Cottle's Fate and the FBI's Involvement

Cottle faces charges of "unlawfully transferring, possessing or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law," according to a press release.

The Texas state Capitol in Austin, Texas. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)

A Conclusion: The DOJ's Take on the Breach

Cottle was arrested and charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with the 2021 data breach targeting the Texas Republican Party.

The DOJ has announced that Cottle is in custody, but no further details have been released.