A group claiming to be a coalition of hackers has reportedly issued an ultimatum to Google, threatening to release the company’s databases unless two of its employees are terminated.
The demand, which appeared in a Telegram post, specifically named Austin Larsen and Charles Carmakal, both members of Google’s Threat Intelligence Group.
According to a post seen by Newsweek, the self-proclaimed hacking collective, calling itself “Scattered LapSus Hunters,” also insisted that Google suspend all investigations by its Threat Intelligence Group into the network’s activities.
The group’s name is an apparent reference to its composition, which it claims includes members from established hacking communities such as Scattered Spider, LapSus, and ShinyHunters.
Currently, the group has not provided any evidence to substantiate its claim of accessing Google’s databases. Furthermore, there have been no recent confirmed breaches of Google’s internal information systems.
This threat emerges in the wake of a separate incident disclosed by Google in August. The company confirmed that ShinyHunters, one of the groups allegedly part of the new coalition, had successfully obtained data from Salesforce.
Salesforce is a third-party vendor that provides various services to Google, and the breach occurred within the vendor’s systems, not Google’s own infrastructure.
The formation of a supergroup like “Scattered LapSus Hunters” would represent a significant escalation in the cyber threat landscape. Scattered Spider is known for its sophisticated social engineering tactics, while LapSus gained notoriety for its aggressive and high-profile attacks on major tech companies.
ShinyHunters has a long history of large-scale data breaches and selling stolen information on the dark web. The potential collaboration of these entities could pose a formidable challenge to even the most well-defended corporations.
Newsweek has reportedly reached out to Google for a statement regarding the alleged threats, but a response was not immediately received as the request was made outside of standard business hours.
The situation remains under observation as the tech community awaits Google’s official response and further developments.
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