Tech Roundup, May. 29, 2020 | The story of Brazil’s legendary hacker VandaTheGod

You are reading The Brazilian Report’s weekly tech roundup, a digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil. This week’s topics: the movement against fake news funders, broadband’s growth in Brazil, and the story of the Brazilian hacker who got exposed via social media after invading almost 5,000 websites across the world.

From saving the Amazon to extorsion: the story of Brazilian hacker “VandaTheGod”

Cybersecurity firm Check Point uncovered the identity of Brazilian hacker VandaTheGod, who invaded 4,820 websites in over 40 countries, including pages from at least seven national governments. The hacker had been conducting data theft operations since 2013.

Bonfire of Vanities. VandaTheGod was known for bragging about his hacking abilities on social media, but was not too good at covering up his traces. The longstanding exposure on social media and forums allowed Check Point’s researchers to track the hacker by finding the registers of an email account published on a forum. 

• By analyzing screenshots he posted on several social media accounts, the researchers found a Facebook profile in the Uberlândia area in Minas Gerais that included the same pictures as VandaTheGod’s anonymous accounts.
• Check Point says it has handed over all evidence to the authorities. Reached by The Brazilian Report, the company says it will not provide further detail as it must keep it under secrecy due to legal issues.

Background. VandaTheGod began as a hacktivist, using a method called defacing to post messages and images on webpages owned by the Brazilian government in order to raise awareness of deforestation in Amazon, among other social causes. Eventually, “the hacker crossed the fine line between hacktivism and cybercrime by stealing banking credentials and leaking personal data, among other activities”, said Lotem Finkelstein, Check Point’s director of intelligence against cyber threats, in a statement. 

• One of VandaTheGod’s most famous assaults happened when he stole personal data from 1 million patients from New Zealand’s medical centers, which he tried to sell for USD 200 on social media.

Why it matters. Brazil is often thought of as a vulnerable country for hacking, as 85 percent of Brazilians have already experienced a threat or cyber event or known people that have, according to cybersecurity company Unisys. Uncovering the criminals may be a step in weakening cybercrime...