The Canadian Department of Justice has arrested Alexander “Connor” Moucka, who is suspected of orchestrating a series of hacks that affected as many as 165 customers of data management giant Snowflake Inc.
The arrest was made following a request from the United States. As of now, the specific charges remain undisclosed.
As Bloomberg reports, the officials have not publicly confirmed Moucka’s involvement; individuals with insider knowledge of the incidents assert that he is behind the attacks.
“As extradition requests are considered state-to-state communications, we cannot comment further on this case,” said Ian McLeod, spokesperson of the Department of Justice.
The alleged hacking spree began in April, targeting over 100 organisations and causing what cybersecurity experts describe as severe damage. Among those affected were high-profile companies, including AT&T Inc., Live Nation Entertainment Inc., and Advance Auto Parts Inc., who reported breaches during the summer.
The incidents involved unauthorised access to sensitive data, primarily facilitated through stolen credentials from dark web forums. These credentials granted the hacker access to customer accounts at companies that lacked essential security features like multifactor authentication.
Once inside, the hacker reportedly attempted to extort affected companies, threatening to sell the stolen data on the criminal marketplace if demands were unmet, cybersecurity analysts at Google confirmed.
Researchers described Moucka as one of the most ‘consequential’ cybercriminals of 2024. This incident highlights how much damage a hacker can inflict with readily available hacking tools.
“Moucka’s campaign left organisations reeling from significant data loss and extortion attempts,” researchers stated.
Recently, US authorities arrested Maxim Rudometo, a Russian hacker behind the RedLine info stealer. Earlier in October 2024, Europol made four arrests and seized nine servers in 12 countries related to the LockBit ransomware gang.
In September 2024, the Miami duo were arrested for siphoning over $230 million in Bitcoin.
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