DataSuckers Hacking Group Busted After Dodo Pizza Breach, Suspects Detained
Russian authorities have reportedly apprehended three alleged members of the financially motivated hacking group **DataSuckers**. The arrests follow a significant cyberattack on the popular **Dodo Pizza** restaurant chain, which exposed extensive customer data. The incident highlights the growing threat from financially driven cybercriminal organizations operating across the region.
Russian authorities have reportedly detained three suspected members of the **DataSuckers** hacking group following a cyberattack on a popular restaurant chain that exposed vast amounts of customer information.
A Moscow court on Wednesday placed 19-year-old **Denis Fridman** under house arrest until December 8 in connection with the **Dodo Pizza** breach. He faces charges related to the illegal handling of computer information containing personal data. The breach reportedly involved the theft of records from hundreds of millions of orders placed over 15 years.
**Fridman** is one of four alleged members of **DataSuckers**, a financially motivated hacking group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on major businesses in Russia and Ukraine. Two other suspects have been detained, while a fourth remains at large, according to Russian newspaper **Kommersant** and Telegram news outlet **Baza**. The suspects reportedly include citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.
According to **Baza**, police identified the suspected hackers after **Fridman** accidentally exposed his IP address while accessing data stolen from **Dodo Pizza**, allowing authorities to trace him to his home in the Russian city of Barnaul.
The attack reportedly began when the hackers discovered **Dodo Pizza**'s corporate credentials exposed on **GitHub**. Using those credentials, the attackers allegedly gained access to interconnected company systems, including cloud storage and databases, as well as stored passwords.
**Kommersant** reported that the stolen database was offered for sale on the dark web, and the hackers received $100,000 for the archive, with the money transferred to a shared cryptocurrency wallet. The wallet's password was reportedly changed after **Fridman**'s arrest.
**Dodo Pizza**, a Russian fast-food chain operating approximately 1,500 restaurants across 28 countries, previously acknowledged that attackers may have accessed customer information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, and order details.
## Attacks Across Russia and Ukraine
**DataSuckers** has emerged in recent months, claiming responsibility for attacks on major businesses in Russia and Ukraine.
In September, the group claimed responsibility for breaching Russian tour operator **Tez Tour**, stating they had spent about two weeks inside the company's systems and obtained large amounts of customer information. The hackers also defaced the company's website. **Tez Tour** acknowledged the disruption but disputed claims that customer data had been compromised, saying it had isolated its internal systems before the attackers could access them.
**Fridman** allegedly participated in that attack, according to **Kommersant**. The newspaper reported that he had previously targeted Ukrainian websites before joining **DataSuckers**.
Earlier this month, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on **ATB**, Ukraine's largest grocery store chain, demanding $400,000 and threatening to publish data it claimed to have stolen from millions of customers.
The hackers placed an extortion message and a countdown timer on the retailer's website, which subsequently became unavailable. **ATB** denied that customer information had been compromised and said it had temporarily taken some online services offline for technical maintenance.
**DataSuckers** claimed to have obtained records belonging to 7.9 million **ATB** customers, including names, contact information, addresses, and password hashes, as well as employee passport information and more than 11 million order records. Those claims have not been independently verified.
The group describes itself as financially motivated rather than politically aligned. It primarily communicates in Russian and uses a public Telegram channel to announce attacks, publish details of alleged intrusions, and invite victims, journalists, and law enforcement agencies to contact its members.
In a message posted last weekend, **DataSuckers** said it was continuing operations but would reduce its public activity.
"We're operating as usual, but you'll be seeing less public activity from us," the group said. "For now, we're focused on specific targets and working on them."
The group has not published any further messages on its Telegram channel since that statement.