You have probably heard about the hacker group LAPSUS$ through several feats of arms such as the theft of data from leading technology companies for nearly two years. After Nvidia some time ago, Microsoft also seems to have been the victim of this group a few hours ago. In the wake of this latest theft, the group announced that it was “going on vacation”…
This last statement could have a link with the research of the authorities. The net seems to be tightening. Four researchers working on the LAPSUS$ hacker group on behalf of some of the targeted companies said they believe they have identified the group’s mastermind. The mastermind is believed to be a teenager living a few miles from Oxford. The motivations of the group and its leader appear to be money and the notoriety provided by their track record. According to Bloomberg, the researchers’ investigation seems to have been precise enough to identify the teenager and recognize his role within the hacking group. The cyber researchers used forensic evidence from the hacks and publicly available information to confirm the identity and location of the alleged leader of Lapsus$. However, officially these elements did not allow law enforcement to charge the teenager (who is by definition a minor in the legal sense). Nevertheless, rival hacker groups of Lapsus$ were quick to publish the boy’s personal information, including his address and information about his parents. A Bloomberg reporter was also able to talk to the boy’s mother for about 10 minutes over the intercom of the family home. However, the authorities remain very discreet and it is therefore not impossible that the “vacation” announced by Lapsus$ is not really voluntary…
