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Canadian man sentenced for U.S. data theft and ransomware attacks
Connor Riley Moucka, a 26-year-old from Kitchener, Ontario, has pleaded guilty to a U.S. federal charge involving the theft of over 50 billion consumer records from more than 165 companies and extortion of millions in ransom payments. The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Moucka, along with co-conspirator John Binns, hacked into Snowflake, a cloud-based data platform, using stolen credentials that had not been updated since 2020. The breach exposed sensitive information including financial records, personal identifiers, and government data. Moucka admitted to receiving at least $495,000 in ransom payments and operating under multiple aliases. He faces up to 32 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of two years for aggravated identity theft. The case highlights vulnerabilities in cybersecurity practices, as the stolen credentials were not protected by multi-factor authentication. The Department of Justice emphasized that cybercriminals cannot evade justice, as Moucka agreed to extradition to the U.S. after being arrested in Canada. The incident underscores the global reach of cybercrime and the need for improved digital security measures to prevent similar breaches.