Cyber Threat Actor: n0
| Actor Type | Location | Known Incidents |
Hacker
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—
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1 incident |
|---|
Profile
The threat actor known as n0, operating under the alias "uid0," demonstrated opportunistic targeting of online communities in a 2016 breach affecting multiple forums under Penton Media's ownership. Their compromise of Mac Forums, Web Hosting Talk, and HotScripts resulted in the exfiltration of 1.4 million user records containing email addresses and cryptographically protected passwords. While the actor implemented salted MD5 hashing on the stolen credentials—a basic security measure—the algorithm's inherent weaknesses enabled third parties to rapidly crack approximately 840,000 passwords, exposing systemic vulnerabilities in credential storage practices.
This operation revealed the actor's focus on monetizing stolen data through dark web marketplaces, with attempted sales priced at 7.2 bitcoin (equivalent to $4,750 during the incident timeframe). The breach's impact extended beyond immediate credential exposure, highlighting risks of password reuse across interconnected platforms operated by a single corporate entity. The targeting of discussion forums suggests an interest in communities with established user bases rather than specific industry verticals or geographic regions, though no explicit strategic objectives beyond financial gain were documented in available reporting.
Technical execution relied on compromising forum infrastructure rather than deploying specialized malware or sophisticated tooling, indicating practical familiarity with common web platform vulnerabilities. The incident remains singularly attributed to this alias through underground forum communications and blockchain transaction analysis tied to the data sale attempt. No operational collaborations, state affiliations, or subsequent campaigns have been publicly associated with n0 or uid0 beyond this 2016 event, leaving the actor's broader profile and current status undocumented in verifiable sources. The operation's legacy persists as a case study in credential storage limitations and the cascading risks of centralized platform management.