Lapsus$, the Group that Hacked Okta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Samsung, is Being Led by a Teenager

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 24 March 2022, 11:03 am

After the recent breach on the security firm Okta, a group of security researchers investigated the incident and discovered that the hacking group behind the incident, LAPSUS$, is run by a 16-year-old boy.

The researchers also stated that the LAPSUS$ hacking group was behind the data breach Samsung, Microsoft, and Nvidia suffered.

LAPSUS$ Hacking Group Leader is a Teenager

According to Bloomberg, four security researchers asked to investigate the LAPSUS$ hacks, and they have successfully traced the activity back to a teenager living with his mother in Oxford, England.

All in all, seven individuals have been connected to the hacking group, with another member being a teenager living in Brazil, according to PCMag.

For now, the security researchers do not have any concrete evidence against the Oxford teenager. They still need to investigate further to prove that the boy carried out all LAPSUS$-claimed hacks, but the forensic evidence suggests that he is the mastermind.

Also Read: Snap IPO Opens The Door To More Filings: Identity Management Provider Okta Files $100M IPO

Since he is still a minor and the investigation is still ongoing, the suspect's real name is not disclosed. He is only known by his nickname "White."

Even though the group has repeatedly proven that it is very good at extracting information from tech companies, the group is still sloppy when it comes to protecting the identity of its members.

The full details of where the teenager lives in Oxford, all of his personal information, and the personal information of his parents have been published online by other hackers.

Bloomberg reported that it visited the home of the teenager and spoke to his mother, who was not aware of the accusations that her son is currently facing.

For now, the FBI, Thames Valley Police, and the National Crime Agency are not responding to any requests over the matter.

What Do the Lapsus$ Hackers Want?

According to ZDNet, the goal of the Lapsus$ hackers is to solicit ransom payments. The group would threaten companies that they will leak stolen information if its extortion demands are not met.

While the tactic is not new, as ransomware gangs often use it as leverage to force victims to pay a ransom, in the case of Lapsus$, there is no sign that ransomware is part of the attacks because they do not encrypt any data.

However, that does not mean that the attacks are not damaging. Microsoft Security notes evidence of a destructive element to the attacks for victims that won't give in to the demands.

Okta, an enterprise identity and security firm is one of the biggest victims of the Lapsus$ hacking group.

According to Okta, the hackers were able to access information of 366 companies, or 2.5% of their customers.

Okta disclosed the breach on Mar. 22, and the company said it contained an attempted security breach in January. However, the hacking group has since claimed that it was able to access a support engineer's laptop and has posted the screenshots online, claiming access to the company's systems.

Okta admitted that the laptop does belong to a support engineer, but the said engineer is working for a third-party provider and not for them.