162: Hieu

In this episode of Darknet Diaries, Jack Recider interviews Hieu Minh Ngo, a Vietnamese hacker, about his journey from stealing internet access as a teenager to building a darknet service that sold the personal information of millions of U.S. citizens. Hieu recounts his early hacking days, driven by curiosity and a desire for free internet, which led to trouble and eventually a move to Ho Chi Minh City. There, he delved into the dark web, learning techniques to hack e-commerce sites for credit card data, which he then sold on underground forums. After a stint in New Zealand, where he faced legal issues for credit card fraud, he returned to Vietnam and, influenced by other hackers, began focusing on U.S. personal identity information. Hieu details how he hacked into data brokers, obtained API access, and created a website where cybercriminals could purchase this information. The interview explores the ethical and legal gray areas of data brokerage, the consequences of Hieu's actions, his eventual arrest, and his transformation into a cybersecurity professional working with law enforcement.