Amsterdam Man Arrested in Investigation Into Shiny Hunters Hacking Group
Dutch police have confirmed that a 24-year-old man from Amsterdam arrested earlier this month is being detained as part of an investigation into the Shiny Hunters hacking group.
“It is true that a 24-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested this month in an investigation into the hacker group Shiny Hunters,” Dutch police said Monday.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in Rotterdam District Court on Tuesday, September 29. Police said additional information will be released at that time.
Suspect identified as former hacker known as “Umbreon”
The suspect was identified by KrebsOnSecurity and DataBreaches as Pepin van der Stapp, a Dutch hacker formerly known online as “Umbreon.”
Van der Stapp was previously arrested in January 2023 and charged with hacking and threatening more than a dozen companies in the Netherlands and other countries.
He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison, suspended for one year, followed by a three-year suspension with additional conditions.
According to DataBreaches, van der Stapp was arrested again on September 15 this year. Dutch tactical police searched his home in Amsterdam, where he lived with his mother, and seized electronic devices.
Investigation examines possible Shiny Hunters connection
KrebsOnSecurity reports that sources familiar with the investigation have confirmed that authorities are examining van der Stapp’s possible ties to Shiny Hunters.
The report also states that van der Stapp’s previous “Umbreon” identity may link him to the group. Shiny Hunters used the same Pokémon character in the recent FBI breach and defacement of the Klopp ransomware group’s data leak site.
Van der Stapp was already using the “Umbreon” alias and a Pokémon image on BreachForums in 2021.
However, the same Umbreon character also appeared in a HackForums website defacement in 2020, a year before van der Stapp created his “Umbreon” account.
Police previously linked suspect to Odido hacking investigation
Dutch police previously published audio of a Dutch-speaking man suspected of being involved in the hack of telecommunications company Odido.
Police said the man called an Odido help desk employee while posing as a member of the company’s IT department. He allegedly tricked the employee into entering credentials and verification codes on a fake login page, giving the attacker access to internal systems.
DataBreaches said it had spoken with van der Stapp multiple times but noted that the voice in the recordings did not sound like him. Close friends of van der Stapp reportedly reached a similar conclusion.
Shiny Hunters representative denies connection
When asked by BleepingComputer about van der Stapp’s arrest, a Shiny Hunters representative denied any connection with him.
“That person has nothing to do with us. Frankly, we’re laughing,” the threat actor told BleepingComputer.
This is a developing story.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com