The Not-So-Secret Network Access Broker x999xx
Most accomplished cybercriminals go out of their way to separate their real names from their hacker handles. But among certain old-school Russian hackers it is not uncommon to find major players who have done little to prevent people from figuring out who they are in real life. A case study in this phenomenon is “ x999xx,” the nickname chosen by a venerated Russian hacker who specializes in providing the initial network access to various ransomware groups. x999xx is a well-known “access broker” who frequently sells access to hacked corporate networks — usually in the form of remote access credentials — [...]