Hackers breach hackers in rare dark web cybercrime feud
What's the story
ShinyHunters, a notorious digital extortion group, has claimed to have hacked its chief rival, cl0p, on the dark web. The incident was reported on Sunday and marks an open escalation of a long-standing feud between the two groups. ShinyHunters said it exploited a vulnerability in cl0p's software to gain extensive control over their infrastructure.
Cyber takeover
We basically own them now: ShinyHunters
In an online chat with Reuters, ShinyHunters said, "We basically own them now."
The claim was substantiated by a screenshot from cybercrime research platform eCrime.ch.
When Reuters attempted to access the group's darkweb page on Sunday, it was unreachable. On Saturday, it showed the message "Domain Seized By ShinyHunters."
Expert validation
Experts confirm authenticity of cybercrime clash
The authenticity of this cybercrime clash appeared to be genuine, according to two cybersecurity experts.
Brandon Parsons, threat intelligence manager at Ascent Solutions, said "street beefs on the dark web are a real thing."
Joe Roosen, senior director of security research at SpyCloud, also confirmed the same and called it "a twist for sure." He added that it's rare to see these criminals fight each other openly.
Past conflicts
Long-standing feud between ShinyHunters and cl0p
The feud between ShinyHunters and cl0p dates back to last year when the former accused the latter of stealing a software exploit that targeted an unknown vulnerability in Oracle's E-Business Suite (EBS).
The zero-day flaw was exploited by cl0p, a Russian-speaking cybercrime gang, to steal data from over 100 companies.
However, ShinyHunters claims it discovered this zero-day first.
Escalating tensions
Threats exchanged between the groups
As the dispute escalated, cl0p threatened to expose the identities of several members of its rival group. In retaliation, ShinyHunters threatened to disclose details about cl0p's internal operations.
Cl0p is known for its ability to find and exploit vulnerabilities in enterprise software, while ShinyHunters has also made headlines for its claim to have stolen millions of business records from video game developer Rockstar Games.