The past several weeks have seen a reign of terror by Laspus$, the hacker group that has claimed responsibility for hacking some of the biggest technology companies in the world. Nvidia, Ubisoft, Samsung, Vodaphone, Okta, and even the mighty Microsoft have all reported hacks that resulted in data being leaked on the internet, with Nvidia perhaps suffering the most.
Cybersecurity specialists have been tracking Laspus$, the mysterious hacker group that allegedly posted their ill-gotten finds online, and today they might have finally had a breakthrough in the case. According to a report from Bloomberg (via VGC), four cybersecurity experts say that the mastermind of Laspus$ is a 16-year-old kid living in Oxford, England with his mother.
According to the report, rival hacker groups posted the Laspus$ kingpin's info online in order to out him. Bloomberg reporters visited the boy's home to speak with his mother, who said that she hadn't a clue as to her son's alleged illegal activities. The police had yet to question the 16-year-old suspect.
Laspus$ is said to be composed of at least nine individuals. One is the 16-year-old in Oxford, while another is a teenager living in Brazil. Seven more members have been identified but haven't been linked to real-world persons.
Just a few days ago, Microsoft confirmed that it too had been hacked by Laspus$, but it had caught the hacker group in the act, limiting the damage to just 37GB comprised of Cortana and Bing's source code. Microsoft had apparently been tracking the group for some time and was able to offer up additional information on the hacker group.
Laspus$ follows "a pure extortion and destruction model." The group uses social engineering tactics like phone calls, phishing emails, or sometimes outright paying people for access to their confidential corporate accounts. Once inside, they steal as much information as they can find. They're not too concerned with concealing themselves and often post the stolen data online as proof of their actions.
It looks like this cocky attitude is starting to finally bite Laspus$ in the ass.