GnosticPlayers is a
computer hacking
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
group, which is believed to have been formed in 2019 and gained notability for hacking
Zynga
Zynga Inc. () is an American developer running social video game services. It was founded in April 2007, with headquarters in San Mateo, California. The company primarily focuses on mobile and social networking platforms. Zynga states its missio ...
,
Canva
Canva is an Australian graphic design platform that is used to create social media graphics and presentations. The app includes readymade templates for users to use, and the platform is free and offers paid subscriptions such as Canva Pro and ...
, and several other online services.
''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' reported that GnosticPlayers had claimed responsibility for hacking other online businesses, and stealing hundreds of millions of credentials from web databases such as
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is a smartphone app and website that tracks diet and exercise. The app uses gamification elements to encourage adherence to exercise and diet goals. To track nutrients, users can either scan the barcodes of various food items or ...
,
Dubsmash
Dubsmash was an American video sharing social media service application for iOS and Android.
Founded in Germany by Jonas Drüppel, Roland Grenke, and Daniel Taschik, the company relocated from Germany to Brooklyn in 2016.
On December 13, 2020 ...
, and fourteen others; and subsequently selling these credentials on the
dark web.
Reported members
In 2020 Night Lion Security listed these people as members of GnosticPlayers.
*Maxime Tallet, who went under the aliases DDB, Casper, RawData, Pumpkin was the seller of the group.
*Nassim Benhaddou who went under the alias Prosox was a member of the group, and was known to be Gabriel's early associate.
In 2019, Nassim Benhaddou, Gabriel Kimiaie-Asadi Bildstein, as well as Maxime Tallet, were arrested after Gabriel confessed that they hacked Gatehub. The hack reportedly involved the theft of $9.5 million worth of cryptocurrency. However, Night Lion Security believes that GnosticPlayers weren't behind the hack.
Companies affected
According to Night Lion Security, GnosticPlayers have breached the following companies:
500px • 8fit • 8tracks • Animoto • Armor Games • Artsy • Avito • BlankMediaGames • Bookmate • Bukalapak • Canva • Chegg • CoffeeMeetsBagel • Coinmama • Coubic • DailyBooth • DataCamp • DubSmash • Edmodo • Epic Games • Evite • EyeEm • Fotolog • GameSalad • Gatehub • Ge.tt • GfyCat • HauteLook • Houzz • iCracked • Ixigo • Legendas.tv • LifeBear • Live Journal • LovePlanet • mefeedia • MindJolt • MyFitnessPal • MyHeritage • MyVestigage • Netlog & Twoo • OMGPop • Onebip • Overblog • Petflow • PiZap • PromoFarma • RoadTrippers • Roll20 • ShareThis • Shein • Singlesnet • Storenvy • StoryBird •
StreetEasy • Stronghold Kingdoms • Taringa • Wanelo • WhitePages • Wirecard • Yanolja • Yatra • YouNow • Youthmanual • Zomato • Zynga
Night Lion Security says that GnosticPlayers have been involved in 25% of non-credit card related data breaches between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020.
See also
*
ShinyHunters
ShinyHunters is a criminal black-hat hacker group that is believed to have formed in 2020 and is said to have been involved in numerous data breaches. The stolen information is often sold on the dark web.
Name and alias
The name of the group i ...
*
The Dark Overlord
References
Hacker groups
Hacking in the 2020s
{{computer-security-stub
Hacking in the 2010s