Canadian Man Pleads Guilty in Snowflake Data-Theft Scheme
Summary
Connor Riley Moucka pleaded guilty to four counts over a scheme that used infostealer-stolen credentials to access Snowflake accounts lacking MFA, steal data from at least 165 organizations and extort victims. The DOJ says losses exceeded $9.5 million.
Key points
- Court documents say Moucka and John Erin Binns used usernames and passwords stolen by infostealer malware to access Snowflake accounts without MFA.
- The pair allegedly stole terabytes of data from at least 165 organizations and extorted multiple victims.
- Moucka obtained at least $2.5 million in bitcoin from at least three victims; he also obtained at least $495,000 by selling data, according to the article.
- The DOJ says victim companies suffered more than $9.5 million in losses and over 100 million people were affected.
- Stolen information reportedly included financial, payroll, call and text history, and personal identity data.
- Moucka pleaded guilty to computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and a related conspiracy; sentencing is scheduled for October 27.
- After the breaches, Snowflake announced it would require MFA and passwords of at least 14 characters for customer accounts.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Connor Riley Moucka pleaded guilty to participating in a Snowflake account data-theft and extortion scheme.
- Impact
- The article reports that attackers accessed accounts at at least 165 organizations and stole terabytes of data, including personal, financial, payroll, and communications records. The U.S. Department of Justice says more than 100 million people were affected and victim companies suffered more than $9.5 million in losses. Moucka and Binns obtained at least $2.5 million in bitcoin from at least three victims, and Moucka obtained at least $495,000 from selling stolen information. After the breaches, Snowflake announced mandatory MFA and a minimum password length of 14 characters.
MITRE ATT&CK
Threat Actors
Alexander MouckaThe article identifies Alexander Moucka as an alias of Connor Riley Moucka, whom it reports participated in the Snowflake data-theft and extortion scheme and who pleaded guilty to four counts.Connor Riley MouckaThe article reports that Moucka participated in accessing Snowflake accounts, stealing data, and extorting victims; he pleaded guilty to four counts, including computer fraud and conspiracy.John Erin BinnsThe article reports that Binns participated with Moucka in accessing Snowflake accounts and stealing data; he was indicted in connection with the attacks.waifuThe article identifies Waifu as an alias of Connor Riley Moucka, whom it reports participated in the Snowflake data-theft and extortion scheme and who pleaded guilty to four counts.