Cybercriminal Jailed for Nine Months Over National Lottery Hack A 29-year-old man from Notting Hill, London, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for his role in a cyberattack targeting the National Lottery. Anwar Batson was convicted on four charges under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and one fraud charge following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The attack, reported in November 2016, compromised a database containing nine million customer records. Batson used the hacking tool Sentry MBA to orchestrate the breach, providing others with a configuration file to launch credential-stuffing attacks against Camelot, the operator of the National Lottery. He also shared a victim’s login details with Idris Kayode Akinwunmi, 21, of Birmingham, who stole £13 from the account and sent £5 to Batson. Two other accomplices Daniel Thompson, 27, of Newcastle, and Akinwunmi were previously jailed in July 2018 for their involvement. Thompson received an eight-month sentence, while Akinwunmi was jailed for four months after using an online tool to bombard lottery accounts with thousands of login attempts. Batson was arrested in May 2017 and initially denied involvement, but investigators found evidence on his computer, including conversations about hacking, buying and selling credentials, and discussions with Akinwunmi about the theft. NCA senior investigating officer Andrew Shorrock emphasized that even basic cybercrime has serious consequences, stating that offenders will be pursued and prosecuted. The case highlights the risks of credential-stuffing attacks and the legal repercussions for those involved in cyber fraud.