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Or sign-in if you have an account.A person types on an illuminated laptop keyboard. Photo by Philip Dulian /Getty ImagesA Canadian man has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to a computer hacking conspiracy that affected more than 165 companies, involved the theft of over 50 billion consumer records and resulted in the extortion of millions of dollars, sometimes involving more than one ransom demand from the same victim.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe U.S. Department of Justice yesterday announced that 26-year-old Connor Riley Moucka of Kitchener, Ont., had pleaded guilty to four charges including computer fraud, wire fraud, use of stolen credentials and aggravated identity theft.He is due to be sentenced on Oct. 27 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft count, and a possible 30 years on the remaining counts. He could also be ordered to pay restitution to victims for their incident response and ransom costs, which totalled at least US$9.5 million.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAccording to court documents, between February and October of 2024 Moucka and an American co-conspirator, John Binns, used stolen login credentials to hack into and steal information from Snowflake, a cloud-based platform.According to the website thehackernews, the credentials had actually been stolen years earlier — as far back as November 2020 — but the passwords had largely not been changed, and the accounts had multi-factor authentication switched off, making the hack easier.The stolen data included call and text history records, banking and other financial information, payroll records, Drug Enforcement Administration registration numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, social security numbers and other personally identifiable information.At least 10 organizations whose data was stolen received ransom demands ranging from $300,000 to $5 million in return for promises to not leak the stolen data. The suspects also advertised victims’ data for sale online on cybercrime forums.The Department of Justice said the conspirators received more than $2.5 million in ransom payments. In at least one case, Moucka is alleged to have re-extorted a government officer and members of that person’s family with threats of further disclosure of the victim’s stolen data.“Connor Moucka’s threats and re-extortion tactics were calculated and predatory, and his actions did real harm to his victims, be they companies targeted for theft and extortion or the millions of everyday people who are their customers,” said Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle field office in a statement.Moucka admitted that he personally received at least $495,000 from ransom payments (which he has also agreed to forfeit) and that he hacked under a variety of aliases, including Alexander Moucka, catist, ellyel8, judische and waifu.The Justice Department noted that Canadian law enforcement, acting on a U.S. arrest warrant, arrested Moucka in Ontario in November 2024. He agreed to be extradited in March 2025, and this took place in July 2025. He remains in custody.Binns, who was also indicted by the U.S. in 2022 for a separate hacking attack, is said to be in custody in Turkey on separate hacking and privacy violation charges and could face extradition.“Today’s guilty plea serves as a reminder to all cybercriminals, regardless of where they live, that they cannot hide behind a wall of anonymity,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “You will be found and brought to justice.”Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.