A hacker called Sanix allegedly publicized a database with over 700 million email addresses, digital currency wallet credentials, and other personal data. This is considered to be one of the world’s biggest data leaks in history. The alleged hacker behind this leak was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) after receiving a tip that he resided in Ivano-Frankivsk, a region in Western Ukraine. The authorities arrested Sanix and seized computers that had two terabytes worth of stolen data and phones with over $10,000 in cash.
If convicted, Sanix might face up to eight years in jail.
The alleged hacker now faces charges of unauthorized interference with computers and illegal sale of information. If convicted of both, Sanix faces up to eight years in prison according to Ukrainian laws. In January 2019, Sanix released what came to be known as Collection #1, a database containing over 772 million unique email addresses. The security researcher Troy Hunt revealed that Sanix published the data on a popular hacking forum. The alleged hacker also made the data available briefly on the MEGA cloud service.
The leaked data contained the credentials of crypto wallets.
The leaked data allegedly published by Sanix, contained personal emails and passwords, including credentials for cryptocurrency wallets. It also included PIN codes for debit cards, PayPal account credentials, and DDoS botnets. Sanix leaked collection numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as Anitpublic on Telegram under the username Sanixer. Altogether, he is responsible for the leaks that exposed billions of unique username-password combinations. Initially, the alleged hacker sold access to the data for a modest $65. However, a fellow hacker known as Azatej leaked the data to a public forum after he had a fall out with Sanix, according to authorities. The Europol has also arrested Azatej, who operated the hacking group known as Infinity Black.
