#LeakTheAnalyst Hacker in Custody
BleepingComputer reported, after a 90 day investigation, officials were able to arrest the individual they believe is behind the #LeakTheAnalyst hacker. The hack, which took place earlier this summer, was targeting Mandiant, a FireEye company. Although, initial concerns were that Mandiant’s systems were breached, it turns out the hack was actually of a FireEye employee’s personal computer.
The breached data was publicized, in what appeared to be an attempt to negatively impact the stock price and reputation of FireEye. Although stock did decrease 4% within 30 days of the news, it is difficult to know for certain what caused the decrease.
In most instances, cyber criminals are not arrested. Various factors lead to the inability to arrest the hackers such as:
- masking IP addresses
- creating false identities
- rerouting attacks to avoid original distribution
- international jurisdictions
Fortunately, Mandiant and a team of national and international authorities were able to arrest the alleged individual behind the #LeakTheAnalyst hack. Additional details regarding the hacker, including his name, are not being released at this time.
