Security News > 2020 > May > Researchers Unmask Brazilian Hacker Who Attacked Thousands of Websites
Researchers at cybersecurity company Check Point said on Thursday that they have found the real identity of VandaTheGod, a Brazilian hacker involved in both hacktivist operations and financially-motivated cybercrimes.
Check Point told SecurityWeek that it informed law enforcement about its findings in October 2019, but the hacker continued to be active up until May 2020.
VandaTheGod, who is also known online as Vanda de Assis and SH1N1NG4M3, appears to have been active since 2013 and claims to be associated with the Brazilian Cyber Army, which describes itself as an "Ethical hacking group." VandaTheGod also claimed to be a member of the hacking group UGNazi, whose members were arrested in 2012.
At one point, he offered to sell the medical records of 1 million patients from New Zealand for $200. Check Point researchers investigated VandaTheGod's online presence and noticed that the hacker's website had been registered from Uberlândia, a city in Brazil.
One of the screenshots posted by the hacker on Twitter showed a browser tab open to a Facebook account for "Vanda De Assis." A different screenshot included a tab with the initials M.R. and a search for individuals with these initials in Uberlândia led researchers to the Facebook profile of a man who endorsed the Brazilian Cyber Army.