Two WA men arrested over breach of 1000 global companies
Two Perth men arrested for hacking operation compromising over 1000 organisations and stealing 500,000 credentials.
Australian cyber experts alerted authorities to a global hacking group operating from Perth, prompting arrests by the FBI and Australian Federal Police. Ruben Ian Thomson, 21, from Cottesloe and Louis Michael Gaebler, 23, from Mandurah were arrested in August.
Authorities say the pair tampered with software updates. These were updates for widely used development tools.
They hid malicious code in the updates. This gave them access to companies' systems.
Then they stole sensitive data. They demanded ransom payments by threatening to publish stolen information.
They sold stolen credentials to other cybercriminals. The operation potentially compromised more than 1000 organisations globally.
It stole over 500,000 credentials. Police say the damage is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Both men remain in custody waiting for court hearings.
- 21, Cottesloe
- Ruben Ian Thomson age and location
- 23, Mandurah
- Louis Michael Gaebler age and location
- More than 1000
- Organisations compromised
- Over 500,000
- Credentials stolen
Why it mattersSoftware supply chain attacks are now a proven way for global cybercriminals to reach thousands of organisations at once. These attacks affect major companies' security for years afterward.
AustraliaAustralians have demonstrated they can operate sophisticated cybercrime networks rivalling international groups; the arrest shows local expertise both in hacking and law enforcement.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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