That mystery has finally been revealed.

After eight months of almost complete silence, the pseudonymous digital vigilantebehind the hack has resurfaced, publishing a detailed explanation of how he broke into the company's systems and laid bare its most closely guarded secrets. 

The write-up breaks down not only how the hacker, who calls himself Phineas Fisher, sneaked into Hacking Team's network and quietly exfiltrated more than 400 gigabytes of data, but also serves as a manifesto of his political ideals and the motives behind the hack.

"And that's all it takes to take down a company and stop its abuses against human rights," the hacker proclaimed at the end of his guide, which Motherboard has seen in advance. "That's the beauty and asymmetry of hacking: with just 100 hours of work, one person can undo years of a multimillion dollar company's work. Hacking gives the underdog a chance to fight and win."