Ethical Hacking News
A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to a string of cybercrime offenses, including stealing call and text history records from over 100 million AT&T customers and extorting multiple companies through stolen login credentials. Connor Riley Moucka faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for his role in the Snowflake data thefts.
Moucka pleaded guilty to multiple counts of computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy. Moucka's cybercrime campaign targeted at least 165 customers of a U.S.-based software-as-a-service company. The hackers stole billions of sensitive customer records, including social security numbers and personally identifiable information. Moucka made over $2.5 million in ransom payments with his co-conspirators. One of Moucca's admitted co-conspirators is a U.S. Army soldier who pleaded guilty to extorting AT&T and Verizon for their customer account data. Another co-conspirator fled the US after being indicted for a 2021 breach at T-Mobile that exposed 76 million customers' personal info.
In a significant development for cybersecurity, a 26-year-old Canadian man named Connor Riley Moucka has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy. Moucka, also known by his online monikers "Judische" and "Waifu," was once regarded as one of the most consequential cybercrime threat actors of 2024.
Moucka's illicit activities spanned over a year, with his cybercrime campaign peaking in February and October 2024. During this time, he and his co-conspirators used stolen login credentials to breach cloud-hosted data belonging to at least 165 customers of a U.S.-based software-as-a-service company. The hackers targeted stolen credentials for Snowflake customer accounts that did not enforce multi-factor authentication, extorting or attempting to extort several well-known companies, including TicketMaster, Lending Tree, Advance Auto Parts, and Neiman Marcus.
The perpetrators used the stolen data to steal billions of sensitive customer records, downloading terabytes of information, including individuals' non-content call and text history records, banking and other financial information, payroll records, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, social security numbers, and other personally identifiable information. They then extorted victims by threatening to publish the stolen data online.
Moucka also threatened and harassed government officials and security researchers who were helping to track him down. The Justice Department stated that Moucca and his co-conspirators made over $2.5 million in ransom payments, with one instance involving re-extortion of a victim with threats of further disclosure of their stolen data.
One of Moucka's admitted co-conspirators is Cameron "Kiberphant0m" Wagenius, a U.S. Army soldier who pleaded guilty in July 2025 to extorting AT&T and Verizon for their customer account data. Less than a month before Wagenius' arrest, KrebsOnSecurity published a deep dive into Kiberphant0m's various Telegram and Discord identities over the years, revealing how the owner of the accounts told others they were in the Army and stationed in South Korea.
Another co-conspirator, John Erin Binns, 26, an elusive American man, had fled the United States after being indicted for his admitted role in a 2021 breach at T-Mobile that exposed the personal information of at least 76 million customers. Binns was recently released from a Turkish prison and has resurfaced online, with sources close to the investigation stating he had obtained Turkish citizenship.
Moucka pleaded guilty to four criminal counts, including computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy. He is slated to be sentenced on October 27, facing a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft count, as well as a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the remaining counts.
This case serves as a significant reminder of the evolving nature of cybercrime and the dangers of not enforcing multi-factor authentication. The arrest and conviction of Connor Riley Moucka bring some measure of closure to the numerous victims of his illicit activities, but it also highlights the ongoing need for vigilance in protecting sensitive customer data.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/A-Canadian-Cybercrime-Ring-Foiled-The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Connor-Riley-Moucka-ehn.shtml
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/08/canadian-man-pleads-guilty-in-snowflake-extortions/
Published: Thu Aug 6 13:20:05 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
