Catalan Police Bust Hacker Suspected of Plundering Banks, Schools, and More

• Arrest in Spain: An individual was arrested by Spanish authorities on suspicion of orchestrating several cyberattacks.
• Attack targets: Among the listed targets are a few Spanish banks, a driving school, and a public university.
• Impact: The suspected hacker reportedly exfiltrated and sold or leaked customer and employee databases.

A significant cybersecurity incident in Spain has culminated in the arrest of a hacker in Roses, Girona. The individual is accused of developing and executing multiple cyberattacks to steal sensitive data from companies and organizations, which was later sold or leaked on dark web forums.

The arrest was the result of a coordinated effort by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) cybercrime unit and the National Police.   

Details of the Police Operation  

The investigation identified the suspect’s residence in Girona as the origin point for numerous data breaches, according to a recent report from news outlet LaVanguardia cited by HackManac.

During a raid at the hacker’s home, law enforcement officers seized essential digital evidence, including a laptop, over 30 SIM cards, multiple smartphones, hard drives, and several bank cards registered under different individuals' names.  

This decisive operation unraveled a scheme in which the unnamed hacker, described as studying computer science at the time, reportedly stole databases from several entities, including Spanish banks, a local driving school, and a public university. 

The stolen records are alleged to include sensitive internal documents and data related to employees and clients.  

What’s Next  

The accused is currently awaiting arraignment at Figueres Duty Court, facing charges related to the discovery and disclosure of secrets. Meanwhile, authorities continue to investigate the scope of the attacks and identify additional victims of this data theft in Girona.  

In other news, TechNadu reported on July 2 that a 19-year-old hacker was arrested for cyberterrorism and a major data leak involving the Spanish Prime Minister.