Hackers

Hackers in Russia

Main article: Russian hackers

What exactly hackers look like in Russia and how their fate develops.

2024

A new hacker group GoldenJackal has been identified, attacking government agencies isolated from the Internet

In early October 2024, researchers cyber security ESET discovered new tools used by the hacker group GoldenJackal against governmental and diplomatic institutions in the To Europe Middle East and South. Asia More here

Belarusian hacker extradited from Poland to the United States, who is accused of ransomware attacks

In mid-August 2024, it became known that during an international operation coordinated by the National Crime Agency (NCA), Belarusian hacker Maxim Silnikov, who is accused of ransomware attacks, was arrested and extradited to the United States. Read more here

US State Department announces $2.5 million reward for Belarusian hacker accused of hacking millions of computers

At the end of August 2024, the State Department USA offered a reward of $2.5 million for information Belarusian hacker Vladimir about Kadaria, which is suspected of involvement in a "large development organization." malware More here

A new cyber group has been identified that uses 500,000 domains to attack companies around the world

On July 17, 2024, Infoblox specialists announced the identification of the Revolver Rabbit cyber group, which registered more than 500 thousand domain names for information theft campaigns. Attackers attack systems running Windows and macOS. Read more here

2023

The most common languages ​ ​ among hackers are named. In what place is Russian

The most popular language among hackers in the world at the moment is Chinese. The second most common language is Spanish, and Russian is in fourth place. This was announced in September by the head of Kaspersky Lab, Yevgeny Kaspersky. At the same time, the professionalism of hackers continues to increase.

These hackers are mainly so-called students, low-middle level, they communicate with each other and unite in gangs. We are now monitoring approximately 900 such professional projects - professional cybercrime and espionage. And they are becoming more sophisticated, vicious, "Kaspersky added.

Kaspersky also noted the growth of cyber attacks around the world, calling it a global problem. According to him, the company collects approximately 400 thousand new [malicious] files every day that have never been seen before. Kaspersky also said that hackers are attacking business, the public sector, critical infrastructure and industry, as before.

According to the report of the company "RTK-Solar," which works in the field of information security, in the first quarter the number of cyber attacks in Russia increased by one and a half times. In the period from January to March, 290 thousand hacker attacks were detected, more than half of them related to the use of malicious software.

Kaspersky Lab is an international company founded in Russia that has been working in the field of information security and digital privacy since 1997. It is one of the four leading manufacturers of Endpoint Protection software solutions in the world. The services of the Laboratory are used by 400 million users and 220 thousand corporate clients around the world.^[1]

The world's most famous hacker dies

On July 16, 2023, at the age of 59, Kevin Mitnick, one of the world's most famous hackers, passed away. In 1995, The New York Times called him "the most wanted computer criminal in the United States." The cause of death was pancreatic cancer and related complications. Read more here.

Red Cross: Civilian hackers howling for Russia or Ukraine are legitimate military targets

On February 17, 2023, Mauro Vignati, an adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), announced that civilian hackers carrying out cyber attacks in the current geopolitical situation could be retaliated against by military structures.

Speaking at the Munich Conference on Cybersecurity, Vignati noted that ICRC is concerned about the possibility of undermining humanitarian laws protecting civilians during armed conflicts. According to him, "digital volunteers" complicate the solution of legal issues. A problem arises with the distinction between who is a civilian and who is an active participant in special operations in cyberspace. In theory, civilians could become legitimate military targets.

Although Mauro Vignati did not specifically mention either Russia or Ukraine, he spoke of "a civilization of military cyber activity and other digital activities." For example, it could be providing civilians with specialized tools to "gather up-to-date intelligence" or providing "offensive cyber tools"

Anyone with a smartphone can take part in the cyber war. Digitalization has also changed the concept of remoteness: although people can be physically removed from the theater of operations, they are just one click away from the digital battlefield, Vignati said.

The ICRC adviser also added that "encouraging civilian participation in cyber activities during armed conflict can undermine the protection of civilians who need to be protected from the consequences of armed conflict." In this regard, the ICRC "strongly recommends" states to abandon the trend of "civilization of the digital battlefield."^[2]

An Israeli hacker group that influenced elections around the world has been revealed. Details

In mid-February 2023, it became known about the Israeli hacker group Team Jorge, which manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using cyber attacks, sabotage and automated disinformation on social networks. The group is led by former Israeli intelligence officer Tal Hanan. Read more here.

2022

In Canada, arrested Russian, who is accused of the world's largest hacker attacks

In Canada, a Russian was arrested, who is accused of the world's largest hacker attacks. This was announced on November 10, 2022 by the European Police Agency (Europol). Read more here.

Hackers attack Indian civil servants with paid Google ads

On November 4, 2022, it became known that the Transparent Tribe cyber group was associated with a new campaign aimed at Indian government organizations. Hackers distributed Trojan versions ON for two-factor authentications Kavach. More. here

Ukrainian hacker arrested, accused of years of stealing financial data of users around the world

On October 25, 2022, the US Department of Justice announced the indictment of 26-year-old Ukrainian citizen Mark Sokolovsky: he is charged with participating in the international cybercriminal operation Raccoon Infostealer, aimed at stealing personal data of [[Internet|Internet users around the world. Read more here.

RaidForums hacker forum for trading stolen databases closed

The US authorities blocked the work of RaidForums, a forum where stolen data was traded online. This is stated in a statement by the US Department of Justice, issued on April 12, 2022. The site was shut down by law enforcement agencies in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal and Romania in Operation TOURNIQUET, coordinated by Europol. Read more here.

A court in the United States sentenced a citizen of Ukraine to 5 years in prison for cybercrime

On April 9, 2022, it became known that in the United States, a citizen of Ukraine received five years in prison for criminal activities as part of a hacker group FIN7. This was announced by the US Department of Justice.

A press release from the department says that 32-year-old Denis Yermak was a high-level hacker and as part of the FIN7 from 2016 to 2018, he searched for vulnerabilities that can be used to be injected into computer networks.

The cybercriminal group managed to hack into networks throughout the United States and gain access to personal data of about 20 million people. The total damage to the American economy from the activities of this criminal community amounted to about $1 billion.

Ukrainian was extradited Thailand from in February 2020 after a court upheld the validity of the American request. In November 2021, Yermak pleaded guilty to two counts: conspiracy to commit frauds using electronic means communications and conspiracy to commit. A court in the breaking computer^[3]

2021

Ukrainian hacker accused of ransomware attacks arrested in Poland

On November 8, 2021, the US Department of Justice announced the arrest in Poland of Ukrainian hacker Yaroslav Vasinsky, who, according to the department, was part of the REvil cyber group. Read more here.

The State Department announced a reward of $10 million for information about hackers who hacked the Colonial Pipeline pipeline

In early November 2021, the US Department of State offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about a hacker group known as DarkSide. She is credited with a cyber attack on a vital 8.8 thousand km fuel pipeline on the east coast of the United States. Read more here.

Natives of Estonia and Lithuania received prison sentences in the United States for the services of "bulletproof" hosting to hackers

In October 2021, natives of Estonia and Lithuania received prison sentences in the United States for providing hosting services to hackers. Details are given on the website of the US Department of Justice. Read more here.

Hackers attacking the largest US pipeline DarkSide received $90 million from victims

On May 18, 2021, it became known that the hacker group DarkSide received from the victim companies of its cyber attacks a total ransom of about $90 million in cryptocurrency. Cybercriminals inject viruses into the IT systems of organizations, block their work and extort money - this is exactly what happened with the attack on the largest Colonial Pipeline in the United States. Read more here.

Ukrainian hacker was given 10 years in prison for participating in cyber attacks with damage of $3 billion

In mid-April 2021, a Washington court sentenced Fyodor Gladyr to 10 years in prison for participating in cyber attacks on American companies. Read more here.

2020

Attack by hacker group Kimsuky from North Korea on Russian military-industrial complex enterprises

On October 19, 2020, it became known about hacker attacks on military and industrial enterprises in. Russia A North Korean group of cybercriminals Kimsuky conducted malicious mailings in the spring, including through social networks, to obtain confidential information from aerospace and defense companies, Anastasia To the businessman Group-IB Tikhonova, head of the complex threats research department, said. More. here

Hackers detained who stole more than $837 thousand from 8 Belarusian banks

On August 3, 2020, it became known that employees of the "K" MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Belarus department stopped the activities of four international cybercriminal groups. A total of 10 hackers were detained. Crimes were committed on the territory of Belarus,,, Russia, and Lithuania Latvia Ukraine a number of others. states

Attackers used malware to remotely access E-POS terminals of trading facilities in the United States, carry out fraudulent return transactions to bank payment cards of dummies, and immediately cashed money at ATMs or through Internet banking, followed by cancellation of the transaction.

The criminals converted the stolen funds into cryptocurrency, and the criminal activities of the groups were managed through anonymous Internet messengers. From March to May 2019, attackers stole more than $837 thousand from 8 Belarusian banks.

The group members performed various functions: the selection of dummies for registering bank payment and SIM card in their names, the use of malicious ON for remote control of terminals of US retail facilities in order to steal and withdraw funds, etc.

The Office of the Investigative Committee for Minsk opened a number of criminal cases. In relation to six suspects, a preventive measure was chosen in the form of detention^[4].

The State Department announced an award of $1 million for data on Eremenko and another hacker from Ukraine

On July 22, 2020, the US State Department announced the appointment of a $1 million award to those who provide information that will help arrest two Ukrainian citizens. Ukrainians are accused of fraud and entering the database of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Read more here.

2019: The world has tens of thousands of hackers working across 14 destinations

The number of hackers currently operating around the world reaches tens of thousands. This was reported in Kaspersky Lab.

The hacker community consists of 14 specialized associations. The largest group in terms of the number of members is engaged in financial cybercrimes, and the most technically equipped is a group of spyware creators.

More than the rest of the hackers are at risk from the so-called drops - people who are responsible for contacts with the physical world. They are followed by botovods - operators that remotely control malicious software.

Basically, hackers contact each other in closed or semi-closed forums.

2017: FBI seeks 123 people on hacking charges

FBI cybercriminals There are 123 people on the wanted list. This was announced at the beginning of the year by the head of the International Cyber ​ ​ Crime Coordination Cell of the National Cyber ​ ​ Investigative Joint Task Force (International Cyber ​ ​ Crime Coordination Cell) Stephen Kelly.

According to Kelly, 123 people are a very large number. The problem is that they are all scattered around the world and are in countries with which the US does not have an extradition agreement. "We cannot create a model for containing cybercrime if we are not able to catch these people," the FBI IT News quotes^[5].

Two years spent setting up a case, turning it over to a grand jury (a panel of jurors determining the validity of an indictment) and bringing charges is worthless if the perpetrator cannot be caught. As a result, attackers enjoy freedom in places where FBI cannot get them and continue to engage in illegal activities.

A separate problem lies in the wording of extradition agreements, said John Lynch, head of cybercrime and intellectual property protection at the US Department of Justice. First, the agreements do not cover the scope of cybercrime and generally allow countries to extradite individuals who have committed only certain crimes. Secondly, many states do not extradite their citizens, and the US Department of Justice can only ask them to bring charges on the spot. In this case, the prosecutor's office can only transfer all the materials on the case to the authorities of this country and hope for a fair trial.

2016: FBI's most wanted cybercriminals

On March 14, 2016, DarkReading.com published an article^[6], dedicated to the most wanted FBI cybercriminals in the world. A large reward is offered for helping to capture these people accused of cyber races, surveillance and fraud.

Evgeny Mikhailovich Bogachev

Nikname: "lucky12345," "slavik," "Pollingsoon"
Nationality: Russian
Age: 32
Wanted for: creating a botnet of the GameOver Zeus network, which led to losses of more than $100 million
Last known location: Anapa, Russia
Reward: $3 million

Nicolae Popescu

Nikname: "Nae," "Stoichitoiu"
Nationality: Romanian
Age: 35
Wanted for: using fake accounts at auctions that took money but never sent an item; wire fraud; identity theft
Last known location: somewhere in Europe
Reward: $1 million

Alexey Belan

Alias: Abyr Valgov
Nikname: "Abyrvaig," "Fedyunya," "Magg," "M4G," "Moy.Yawik"
Nationality: Latvian
Age: 28
Wanted for: stealing large corporate customer databases; identity theft

Last known location: Athens, Greece
Reward: $100,000

Joshua Samuel Aaron

Alias: Mike Shields
Nationality: American
Age: 31
Wanted for: theft of corporate customer information; internet scheme "pump and reset"
Last known location: unknown; connected with Tel Aviv, Kyiv and Moscow
Reward: No

Viet Nguyen Quoc

Alias: Peter Nguyen, Peter Norman
Nikname: Vandehiu
Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 27
Wanted for: stealing marketing data containing 1 billion email addresses; spam attacks through the use of unauthorized access to systems
Last known location: Unknown, linked to Vietnam and the Netherlands
Reward: No

Carlos Enrique Pérez-Melara

Age: 35
Nationality: Salvadoran
Wanted for: Developing and using the spy ON LoverSpy
Last known location: El Salvador
Reward: $50,000

Peteris Sakhurovs

Nikname: "PIOTREK," "PIOTREK8," "SAGADE"
Nationality: Latvian
Age: 26
Wanted for: using malicious advertising and fake antivirus programs, resulting in losses of more than $2 million
Last known location: Rezekne, Latvia
Reward: $50,000

Shailshkhumar Jain

Nickname: Sam Jain
Nationality: Indian
Age: 45
Wanted for: a criminal scheme using a fake antivirus, thanks to which it was possible to get about $100 million from customers, in less than two years of operation
Last known location: Unknown, linked to Brazil, Canada, India and Ukraine
Reward: $20,000

Bjern Daniel Sundin

Nickname: David Sundin
Nationality: Swedish
Age: 37
Wanted for: a criminal scheme using a fake antivirus, thanks to which it was possible to get about $100 million from customers, in less than two years of operation
Last known location: Unknown, linked to Sweden and Ukraine
Reward: $20,000

Ivan Viktorovich Klepikov

Nikname: "petr0vich," "nowhere"
Nationality: Russian
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of three members of a criminal group that used Zeus to steal bank credentials and make illegal transfers
Last known location: Russia or Ukraine
Reward: No

Alexey Dmitrievich Bron

Nikname: "thehead"
Nationality: Russian
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of three members of a criminal group that used Zeus to steal bank credentials and make illegal transfers
Last known location: Russia or Ukraine
Reward: No

Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov

Nikname: "tank," "father"
Nationality: Russian
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of three members of a criminal group that used Zeus to steal bank credentials and make illegal transfers
Last known location: Russia or Ukraine
Reward: No

San Kailiang

Alias: Jack Sun
Nationality: Chinese
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of five members of the People's Liberation Army (NOA) of China, accused of cyber espionage and theft of information that is a trade secret.
Last known location: China
Reward: No

Huang Zhenyu

Nikname: "hzy_lhx"
Nationality: Chinese
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of five members of the People's Liberation Army (NOA) of China, accused of cyber espionage and theft of information that is a trade secret.
Last known location: China
Reward: No

Wen Xinho

Alias: Lao Wen
Nikname: "WinXYHappy," "Win_XY"
Nationality: Chinese
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of five members of the People's Liberation Army (NOA) of China, accused of cyber espionage and theft of information that is a trade secret.
Last known location: China
Reward: No

Wang Dong

Alias: Jack Wang
Nickname: "UglyGorilla"
Nationality: Chinese
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of five members of the People's Liberation Army (NOA) of China, accused of cyber espionage and theft of information that is a trade secret.
Last known location: China
Reward: No

Gu Chanhai

Nickname: "KandyGoo"
Nationality: Chinese
Age: Unknown
Wanted for: one of five members of the People's Liberation Army (NOA) of China, accused of cyber espionage and theft of information that is a trade secret.
Last known location: China
Reward: No

Nur Aziz Uddin

Nationality: Pakistani
Age: 52
Wanted for: international telecommunications scheme, thanks to which it was possible to deceive more than $50 million
Last known location: Saudi Arabia
Reward: $50,000

Farhan Ul Arshad

Nationality: Pakistani
Age: 42
Wanted for: international telecommunications scheme, thanks to which it was possible to deceive more than $50 million
Last known location: Malaysia
Reward: $50,000

What can hackers do?

Notes