Brazilian police have successfully apprehended a notorious hacker known in cyber circles as USDoD, who has been linked to several high-profile cyber breaches, including the FBI’s InfraGard and the National Public Data breach. The arrest was made in Belo Horizonte (MG) and the suspect, a 33-year-old individual, is believed to be behind some of the most significant cyberattacks on critical infrastructure worldwide.
The hacker, who operated under the aliases USDoD and EquationCorp, gained notoriety for his involvement in the FBI’s InfraGard breach, where personal details of 87,000 members were leaked on Breach Forums and Russian language cybercrime forums. In addition, he was also responsible for the massive National Public Data (NPD) data breach, which exposed the personal information, including Social Security Numbers (SSNs), of a staggering 3.9 billion individuals.
The Department of Federal Police (DPF) confirmed the arrest of the hacker on October 16, 2024, as part of Operation Data Breach, a concerted effort to crack down on cybercrime activities. Following his arrest, authorities seized several of his devices for further investigation.
USDoD managed to maintain his anonymity until July 2024 when he made a public announcement about scraping and leaking a 100,000-line Indicator of Compromise (IoC) list from the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. This action caught the attention of CrowdStrike, who managed to track his activities and uncover his real identity within a month. The information was then shared with Brazilian authorities, leading to his eventual arrest.
In a surprising turn of events, Hackread.com was granted an exclusive interview with USDoD, during which he confirmed his identity in a video message and acknowledged the accuracy of CrowdStrike’s claims against him.
The United States may seek the extradition of the hacker under the Brazil-U.S. Extradition Treaty due to his involvement in high-profile cyber breaches. However, Brazil has a history of not extraditing its own citizens, which could potentially complicate efforts to prosecute him in the U.S. If extradition is denied, the hacker may still face prosecution in Brazil under local cybercrime laws.
This is a developing story, and further updates will be provided as the situation unfolds.
In related news, other recent cybercrime arrests include an Australian man arrested for an “Evil Twin” Wi-Fi scam, an alleged member of the ShinyHunters hacker group apprehended, the bust of a North Korean identity theft ring targeting US firms, the arrest of MIT graduate brothers for a $25 million Ethereum heist, and the capture of the Alcasec Hacker, also known as the “Robin Hood of Spanish Hackers.”
As the world continues to grapple with cyber threats, law enforcement agencies remain vigilant in their efforts to combat cybercrime and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.