Google Analyst Infiltrates Notorious Supply Chain Hacking Gang

Google’s Threat Intelligence Group successfully infiltrated TeamPCP, a notorious supply chain hacking collective, allowing the tech giant to monitor attacks from within and assist in disrupting their operations. This covert operation culminated in the recent arrest of two alleged leaders in Australia, but the intelligence gathered during the infiltration provided critical insights into the group’s unprecedented campaign against global software infrastructure.

Inside the Supply Chain Siege

TeamPCP executed a historic spree of cyberattacks that compromised hundreds of open-source programs. By stealing developer credentials, the group perpetuated a cycle of malware injection across widely used tools, ultimately breaching more than 1,000 companies. The hackers even deployed a self-spreading worm themed after Dune to automate and scale these intrusions. Google’s undercover presence allowed the company to warn potential victims and actively hinder the hackers’ attempts to exploit targets before law enforcement could intervene.

The investigation relied on multiple intelligence streams. Google followed a trail of operational security mistakes made by one of the Australian suspects, passing identifying details to authorities. Additionally, ShinyHunters, another criminal group previously allied with TeamPCP, turned against them, providing valuable data. However, the most significant advantage came from an analyst embedded within TeamPCP’s inner circle from nearly the beginning of its public emergence.

“One of our personas had been working for many months to build trust with one of the actors that was invited to join TeamPCP, and so was added to the group,” researcher Austin Larsen told WIRED ahead of his presentation at LABScon. “So essentially, almost day one, Mandiant was watching everything behind the scenes.”

Arrests and Unprecedented Attacks

The crackdown on TeamPCP resulted in the arrest of Ruben Ian Thomson and Louis Michael Gaebler, both Australians in their early twenties. They were charged in a joint operation involving Australian Federal Police and the FBI. Described as principal participants in the AFP’s press release, the pair are accused of orchestrating a brazen series of cascading supply chain attacks starting in late 2025.

The group’s methodology involved repeatedly compromising open-source software to hide malware, which then facilitated the hijacking of developer accounts. This allowed them to plant malicious code in subsequent tools, creating a repeating cycle of compromise. Starting in spring 2026, TeamPCP targeted high-profile projects including the security scanner Trivy, the AI API tool LiteLLM, Checkmarx’s infrastructure, the web app library TanStack, and the enterprise AI platform Mistral AI.

These breaches enabled the hackers to access sensitive data from entities such as GitHub data contracting firm Mercor, OpenAI employee devices, and the European Commission. At various points, the group utilized a worm named Mini Shai-Hulud to automate its activities. The name references sandworms from Dune and possibly an earlier intrusion campaign in September 2025, though it remains unclear if TeamPCP members were involved in that prior event.

The Mole in the Chat Room

Larsen revealed that by March 2026, as TeamPCP began its frenzied attack phase, Google’s undercover analyst had already gained entry to the hackers’ core communication channels. This insider, whose identity remains protected, was among approximately 12 members granted access to a primary chat room known as CanisterWorm. This level of access provided Google with real-time visibility into the group’s strategies and targets, marking a pivotal moment in the defense against sophisticated supply chain threats.