Following a string of hacks against high-profile technology companies such as Microsoft and Nvidia, cybersecurity experts have been hot on the trail of the group known as Lapsus$.
The group have gone against the grain of recent hackers which use ransomware to take down company's computer systems. Instead they enter the mainframe, fish out important bits of information such as source code, and then use that information to bargain for Bitcoin. An investigation into the group found a crypto wallet belonging to the group holding more than 3790 Bitcoin, which is worth around £125million.
Check out how this person makes over $1.3million a month by mining bitcoin.
Now according to a report by Bloomberg, the mastermind behind Lapsus$'s whole operation, who goes by the online nicknames "White" and "breachbase" could be a 16-year-old living with their mum near Oxfordshire. The youth has not been named in order to protect their identity as a minor, also as of yet no charges have been brought against them.
It is believed that they were working in conjunction with a number of key members including another person identified as a teen currently living in Brazil. The group often reach out to people working inside their target corporations and offer them money in exchange for access to a VPN or Citrix, a form of software which allows you to access the system remotely.
They aren't always looking for access directly to the internal workings of each tech company, but sometimes gain access through the systems connected to their servers. So far the group has been suspected of accessing Nvidia, LG, Okta, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Vodafone, though a lot of what they have achieved is still shrouded in mystery.
