FBI hacker is selling Robinhood customer data on hacking forum

A hacker wearing black gloves using a laptop keyboard
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The hacker behind last week’s Robinhood data breach is now selling the company's customer data on a hacking forum.

Known as ‘pompompurin’, the threat actor - who also claimed responsibility for the recent hack on the FBI's email system - is looking for a minimum offer of “five figures” for the "highly valuable" data, which includes seven million email addresses.

However, the threat actor emphasised that the sensitive data of 310 customers, such as name, date of birth, and zip code, will not be available to purchase “at this current point of time”.

The sensitive data was obtained through SendSafely, a file transfer system used by Robinhood to verify users’ identities when they set up an account. Out of the 310 customers who had had their ID cards stolen by ‘pompompurin’, 10 had more extensive details leaked.

The hacker criticised Robinhood for concealing the fact that the ID cards had been stolen, according to screenshots from the hacking forum obtained by BleepingComputer.

In a blog post published on 8 November, the online trading platform said it was in the process of notifying 310 customers that their personal data had been stolen. However, it didn’t specifically mention the theft of ID cards, despite CSO Caleb Sima’s stating that the company would “be transparent and act with integrity”.

IT Pro has contacted Robinhood for comment.

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‘Pompompurin’ made headlines on Monday by claiming responsibility for exploiting the FBI’s systems to send fake cyber security alerts. In an interview with security researcher Brian Krebs, the threat actor said they wanted to draw attention to the security vulnerability in the Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP) web app.

‘Pompompurin’ is named after a dog character introduced by the Japanese company Sanrio, which echoes the use of the 'HelloKitty’ alias by the ransomware group responsible for the cyber attack on game developer CD Projekt earlier this year, with the popular cat character also being a product of Sanrio. The stolen data has also since resurfaced on a dark web auction self-described as “charity fundraising”.

Sabina Weston

Having only graduated from City University in 2019, Sabina has already demonstrated her abilities as a keen writer and effective journalist. Currently a content writer for Drapers, Sabina spent a number of years writing for ITPro, specialising in networking and telecommunications, as well as charting the efforts of technology companies to improve their inclusion and diversity strategies, a topic close to her heart.

Sabina has also held a number of editorial roles at Harper's Bazaar, Cube Collective, and HighClouds.