Google Threat Intelligence infiltrates TeamPCP with undercover researcher Austin Larsen
Google's Threat Intelligence team just pulled off a major cyber sting by sending undercover researcher Austin Larsen right into the heart of TeamPCP, a well-known hacking crew.
Thanks to his work, Google got an inside look at how the group operated and was able to help protect people who might have been targeted.
Google traces TeamPCP credentials, prompts arrest
Larsen infiltrated TeamPCP after Google followed a trail of operational security lapses allegedly made by one of the two Australians now accused of being part of the hacker group.
Larsen gained access to a server where TeamPCP stored stolen credentials, and Google used that information to warn victims.
Someone within TeamPCP's core circle was using an AI tool to develop a zero-day exploit targeting widely used login software, and the exploit could have allowed the hackers to bypass two-factor authentication.
The company also received intelligence from ShinyHunters, and investigators later linked a key hacker to a Gmail account and found that the group's stolen credentials were being backed up to a Google Drive associated with that account.
The findings were passed to the FBI, and about a month later Australian police arrested the alleged hacker.