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Canadian Hacker Pleads Guilty in Snowflake Cloud Data Theft

The plea confirms credential theft led to mass copying and sale of sensitive customer records, which raises pressure for tougher sentences and new industry security mandates.

Overview

  • Connor Riley M., a 26-year-old Canadian, pleaded guilty this week in U.S. federal court in Seattle to computer fraud, electronic-communication fraud, aggravated identity theft and a related conspiracy charge.
  • Prosecutors say the campaign targeted stolen Snowflake customer credentials and copied data from at least 165 companies, exposing records tied to more than 100 million people.
  • Investigators reported the stolen material included call and SMS connection logs, bank and payroll records, driver’s license and ID numbers, DEA registration numbers, and Social Security numbers.
  • Authorities say the group extorted and sold datasets on darknet forums and Telegram, taking more than $2.5 million in ransoms overall while Connor received at least $495,000.
  • Snowflake has begun mandatory multi-factor authentication and the case — with sentencing set for October 27, 2026 and a possible 2-to-30-year prison range — is pushing firms to tighten cloud access controls and third-party security checks.