Smashing Security podcast #397: Snowflake hackers, and under the influence

A Canadian man is arrested in relation to the Snowflake hacks from earlier this year – after a cybersecurity researcher managed to track his identity, and a cryptocurrency-trading Instagram influencer is in trouble with the law.

All this and more is… Continue reading Smashing Security podcast #397: Snowflake hackers, and under the influence

Hacker in Snowflake Extortions May Be a U.S. Soldier

Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing data from and extorting dozens of companies that used the cloud data storage company Snowflake, but a third suspect — a prolific hacker known as Kiberphant0m — remains at large and continues to publicly extort victims. However, this person’s identity may not remain a secret for long: A careful review of Kiberphant0m’s daily chats across multiple cybercrime personas suggests they are a U.S. Army soldier who is or was recently stationed in South Korea. Continue reading Hacker in Snowflake Extortions May Be a U.S. Soldier

Canadian Man Arrested in Snowflake Data Extortions

A 26-year-old man in Ontario, Canada has been arrested for allegedly stealing data from and extorting more than 160 companies that used the cloud data service Snowflake.

On October 30, Canadian authorities arrested Alexander Moucka, a.k.a. Connor Riley Moucka of Kitchener, Ontario, on a provisional arrest warrant from the United States. Bloomberg first reported Moucka’s alleged ties to the Snowflake hacks on Monday.

At the end of 2023, malicious hackers learned that many large companies had uploaded huge volumes of sensitive customer data to Snowflake accounts that were protected with little more than a username and password (no multi-factor authentication required). After scouring darknet markets for stolen Snowflake account credentials, the hackers began raiding the data storage repositories used by some of the world’s largest corporations. Continue reading Canadian Man Arrested in Snowflake Data Extortions

BigID DSPM Starter App enhances data security posture for Snowflake customers

BigID launched Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) Starter App, built natively in Snowflake and using the Snowflake Native App Framework. BigID’s DSPM Starter App will be available via Snowflake Marketplace and provide rapid data discovery an… Continue reading BigID DSPM Starter App enhances data security posture for Snowflake customers

The Dark Nexus Between Harm Groups and ‘The Com’

A cyberattack that shut down some of the top casinos in Las Vegas last year quickly became one of the most riveting security stories of 2023: It was the first known case of native English-speaking hackers in the United States and Britain teaming up with ransomware gangs based in Russia. But that made-for-Hollywood narrative has eclipsed a far more hideous trend: Many of these young, Western cybercriminals are also members of fast-growing online groups that exist solely to bully, stalk, harass and extort vulnerable teens into physically harming themselves and others. Continue reading The Dark Nexus Between Harm Groups and ‘The Com’

This Week in Security: Snowflake, The CVD Tension, and Kaspersky’s Exit — And Breaking BSOD

In the past week, AT&T has announced an absolutely massive data breach. This is sort of a multi-layered story, but it gives me an opportunity to use my favorite piece …read more Continue reading This Week in Security: Snowflake, The CVD Tension, and Kaspersky’s Exit — And Breaking BSOD