A Kitchener, Ont., man accused of being involved in a massive data breach affecting several major U.S. companies made a brief court appearance on Friday. Connor Moucka, 25, appeared via video from the Maplehurst Correctional Centre. He is facing an extradition request from the United States.
Moucka was arrested on October 30 after investigators discovered he was living in the Stanley Park neighbourhood of Kitchener. The Department of Justice Canada confirmed Moucka first appeared in court the afternoon of his arrest. At a later court date in mid-November, he indicated he was awaiting a decision on legal aid.
During his brief appearance on November 29, Moucka confirmed he had secured a lawyer for the extradition proceedings. He is scheduled to return to court on December 20.
Snowflake data breach court appearance
A U.S. court indictment accuses Moucka and another individual, John Erin Binns, of orchestrating and executing international computer hacking and wire fraud schemes. These allegations correlate with a breach earlier this year involving customers of Snowflake, a cloud-based data storage company. Hackers accessed usernames, and in some cases passwords, through a third-party company that manages data for Snowflake.
Companies impacted by the breach included AT&T, Live Nation, and Advance Auto Parts. Court documents detail that one of the victims, a major U.S. telecommunications company, had about 50 billion customer call and text records stolen. Other victims included a significant retailer, an entertainment company, and a healthcare company, all of which had some customer data compromised.
The hackers allegedly extorted approximately $2.5 million from at least three companies through ransom payments. Moucka’s case continues to draw significant attention as more details about the data breach and the extent of the cybersecurity threats become apparent.
