Latvian Police Arrest Suspect Behind Extortion Hack on Electronics Repair Firm

Latvian authorities have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of hacking at least two companies, stealing personal data and attempting to extort payment from the victims. The first breach was detected in February, and a second, using similar methods, was uncovered in September at TSC, an electronics repair company owned by telecom group LMT.

Police allege the suspect exploited vulnerabilities in company websites to access databases and extract personal information, then contacted the businesses through anonymous email accounts demanding payment to prevent disclosure. Investigators believe he used automated tools to scan for weaknesses across many websites rather than targeting specific organisations, and took steps to hide his location.

At TSC, the stolen data potentially included customer names, contact details, device passcodes, bank account numbers, addresses and building access codes, depending on what each customer had submitted. TSC said its systems are separate from other LMT companies and that its telecommunications network was not affected. The suspect faces up to five years in prison if convicted, and police are investigating evidence of possible additional attacks on other businesses.