A man from Kitchener, Ont., has admitted to being involved in a major international data breach that included “extremely sensitive information.”
On Aug. 5, the United States Department of Justice announced that 26-year-old Connor Moucka, also known as Alexander Moucka, had pleaded guilty after his arrest in Kitchener in October 2024. He was sent to the United States in July 2025.
“Connor Moucka hacked over 150 companies and organizations, obtained extremely sensitive information, and extorted the victims for millions of dollars,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in a news release.
While no specific companies were mentioned in previously obtained court documents, experts indicated that the details matched a hack involving customers of Snowflake, a cloud-based data storage company based in the U. S. AT& T, Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Advance Auto Parts were among those that confirmed they were impacted by the Snowflake breach.
Moucka pleaded guilty to computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and related conspiracy charges.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 27 and faces between two to 30 years behind bars.
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What was taken?
The U. S. Department of Justice stated that Moucka and his co-conspirators used stolen login information to access cloud-hosted data belonging to at least 165 companies and organizations from February through October 2024. Some of the data taken included non-content call and text history, banking details, payroll records, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration numbers, driver’s licence numbers, passport numbers and social security numbers. This information was then used in an extortion scheme where threats were made to publish it if victims didn’t comply with their demands. “The conspirators profited from the scheme, receiving over $2.5 million in ransom payments,” the news release noted. “In at least one instance, Moucka re-extorted a victim with threats of further disclosure of the victim’s stolen data. Moucka used the stolen data of a government officer and members of a then-former government officer’s immediate family during this re-extortion attempt.” The Department of Justice also reported that Moucka sold some information on cybercrime forums and personally received at least $495,000 in payments. Meanwhile, affected companies reported losses exceeding $9.6 million. “Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message to cybercriminals: you cannot hide from justice no matter how hard you may try to cover your tracks,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Connor Moucka’s threats and re-extortion tactics were calculated and predatory; his actions caused real harm not just to targeted companies but also to millions of everyday people who are their customers.” With files from ’ Krista SimpsonRelated Stories
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