It is rare that the identities of participants and ringleaders in criminal phishing schemes are uncovered. But in many cases, when untangling the web of a cyber criminal group (particularly with financially motivated e-crime actors), there are enough OSINT breadcrumbs left behind by a threat actor, on forums, in code, or elsewhere, to point investigators in the right direction.

For almost two decades, hackers with Snake have been forcing their way into government networks. They are considered one of the most dangerous hacker groups in the world. Who they work for, though, has always been a matter of pure speculation. But reporters with the German public broadcasters BR and WDR  have discovered some clues, and they all lead to the Russian secret service FSB.