GnosticPlayers
{{short description|Computer hacking group}}
GnosticPlayers is a computer hacking group, which is believed to have been formed in 2019 and gained notability for hacking Zynga,{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/words-with-friends-hack-zynga-data-breach-exposes-200-million-users/|title=Zynga data breach exposed 200 million Words with Friends players|website=CBS News|date=2 October 2019 |first1= Irina |last1=Ivanova |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240222223458/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/words-with-friends-hack-zynga-data-breach-exposes-200-million-users/ |archive-date= Feb 22, 2024 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/dec/19/170m-passwords-stolen-in-zynga-words-with-friends-hack-monitor-says|title=170m passwords stolen in Zynga hack, monitor says|first=Alex|last=Hern|newspaper=The Guardian |date=December 19, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913011802/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/dec/19/170m-passwords-stolen-in-zynga-words-with-friends-hack-monitor-says |archive-date= Sep 13, 2023 }} Canva,{{Cite web|url=https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/05/28/millions-of-canva-users-data-stolen-as-gnosticplayers-strikes-again/|title=Millions of Canva users' data stolen as GnosticPlayers strikes again|first= Lisa |last=Vaas |website=Naked Security |date=May 28, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721131843/https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/05/28/millions-of-canva-users-data-stolen-as-gnosticplayers-strikes-again/ |archive-date= Jul 21, 2023 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.verdict.co.uk/canva-data-breach-gnosticplayers/|title=Canva data breach: Why hacker Gnosticplayers boasted to the media|date=June 3, 2019}} and several other online services.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/a-hacker-has-dumped-nearly-one-billion-user-records-over-the-past-two-months/|title=A hacker has dumped nearly one billion user records over the past two months|first=Catalin|last=Cimpanu|website=ZDNet}}{{Cite web|url=https://cyware.com/news/times-when-gnosticplayers-hacker-made-headlines-for-selling-troves-of-stolen-data-on-dark-web-f8849502|title=Times when 'Gnosticplayers' hacker made headlines for selling troves of stolen data on dark web |website=Cyware |date=September 30, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325194402/https://cyware.com/news/times-when-gnosticplayers-hacker-made-headlines-for-selling-troves-of-stolen-data-on-dark-web-f8849502 |archive-date= Mar 25, 2023 }}
The Independent reported that GnosticPlayers had claimed responsibility for hacking other online businesses, and stealing hundreds of millions of credentials from web databases such as MyFitnessPal, Dubsmash, and fourteen others; and subsequently selling these credentials on the dark web.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/dark-web-data-hackers-dubsmash-myfitnesspal-myheritage-cyber-security-a8775666.html|title = Dark web data dump sees 620 million accounts from hacked websites go on sale| website=Independent.co.uk |date = 13 February 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.digit.in/news/general/617-million-hacked-accounts-put-on-sale-on-the-dark-web-46437.html|title=617 million hacked accounts put on sale on the dark web | Digit|website=www.digit.in|date=13 February 2019}}
Reported members
In 2020, cybersecurity author Vinny Troia published a report listing the following core group members:{{Cite web |title=The Dark Overlord Cyber Investigation Report |url=https://www.nightlion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Dark-Overlord-Investigation-Report-Night-Lion_v1.01.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211220306/https://nightlion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Dark-Overlord-Investigation-Report-Night-Lion_v1.01.pdf |archive-date=Dec 11, 2023 |website=Night Lion Security}}
- Maxime Thalet-Fischer, who went under the aliases DDB, Casper, RawData and Pumpkin, was the seller of the group.
- Nassim Benhaddou, who went under the alias Prosox, was a member of the group and was known to be Gabriel's early associate. According to Troia, Benhaddou later went on to form the group ShinyHunters.{{Cite web|date=2019-12-30|title=GnosticPlayers Part 1: An Overview of Hackers Nclay, DDB, and NSFW|url=https://www.nightlion.com/blog/2019/gnosticplayers-part-1-nclay-ddb-nsfw/|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Night Lion Security|language=en-US}}
In 2019, Nassim Benhaddou, Gabriel Kimiaie-Asadi Bildstein, as well as Maxime Thalet-Fischer, were arrested after Gabriel confessed that they hacked Gatehub. The hack reportedly involved the theft of $9.5 million worth of cryptocurrency.{{Cite web|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|title=Hackers steal $9.5 million from GateHub cryptocurrency wallets|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-steal-9-5-million-from-gatehub-cryptocurrency-wallets/|access-date=2021-01-25|website=ZDNet|language=en}}
Companies affected
GnosticPlayers have taken public responsibility for the following data breaches:
500px • 8fit • 8tracks • Animoto • Armor Games • Artsy • Avito • BlankMediaGames • Bookmate • Bukalapak • Canva • Chegg • CoffeeMeetsBagel • Coinmama • Coubic • DailyBooth • DataCamp • DubSmash • Edmodo • Epic Games • Evite • EyeEm • Fotolog • GameSalad • Gatehub • Ge.tt • GfyCat • HauteLook • Houzz • iCracked • Ixigo • Legendas.tv • LifeBear • LiveJournal • LovePlanet • mefeedia • MindJolt • MyFitnessPal • MyHeritage • MyVestigage • Netlog & Twoo • OMGPop • Onebip • Overblog • Petflow • PiZap • PromoFarma • RoadTrippers • Roll20 • ShareThis • Shein • Singlesnet • Solstice • Storenvy • StoryBird • StreetEasy • Stronghold Kingdoms • Taringa • Wanelo • WhitePages • Wirecard • Yanolja • Yatra • YouNow • Youthmanual • Zomato • Zynga
See also
References
{{reflist}}{{Hacking in the 2010s}}{{Hacking in the 2020s}}
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