Now, 2 Russian intelligence officers in addition to 2 criminal hackers accept been charged yesteryear the US authorities inwards connectedness alongside the 2014 Yahoo hack that compromised almost 500 1000000 Yahoo user accounts, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
According to the prosecutors, at to the lowest degree thirty 1000000 accounts were accessed every bit percentage of a spam crusade to access the electronic mail contents of thousands of people, including journalists, authorities officials, in addition to technology scientific discipline companionship employees.
The iv defendants — Two officers from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in addition to 2 other hackers — are identified as:
- Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, 33 — an officeholder inwards the FSB Center for Information Security at the fourth dimension of the hack, in addition to straightaway Russian national in addition to resident.
- Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin, 43 — an FSB officer, a superior to Dokuchaev inside the FSB, in addition to Russian national in addition to resident.
- Alexsey Alexseyevich Belan, aka "Magg," 29 — a Russian national in addition to resident, who has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted Hackers list in addition to indicted twice inwards 2012 in addition to 2013 yesteryear U.S. Federal grand juries for hacking in addition to fraud charges.
- Karim Baratov, aka "Kay," "Karim Taloverov" in addition to "Karim Akehmet Tokbergenov," 22 — a Canadian in addition to Kazakh national in addition to a resident of Canada.
In a 38-page indictment [PDF] unsealed Wednesday, the prosecutors said the 2 Russian spies worked alongside 2 other hackers to suspension into in addition to gained initial access to Yahoo inwards early on 2014.
Belan, who is on the FBI's most-wanted cybercriminals list, used the file transfer protocol (FTP) to download the Yahoo database, containing usernames, recovery e-mail accounts, telephone numbers besides every bit "certain information required to manually create, or "mint," trace organization human relationship authentication spider web browser “cookies” for to a greater extent than than 500 1000000 Yahoo accounts."
The spies in addition to thence used the stolen information to obtain unauthorized access to the contents of accounts at Yahoo, Google in addition to other webmail providers, including those of Russian in addition to American officials, Russian journalists, employees of fiscal services in addition to other businesses.
The attain of charges are officially listed as:
- Conspiring to commit figurer fraud in addition to abuse
- Conspiring to engage inwards in addition to the theft of merchandise secrets
- Conspiring to engage inwards in addition to committing economical espionage
- Conspiring to commit wire fraud
- Counterfeit access device fraud
- Counterfeit access device making equipment
- Aggravated identity theft
- Transmitting code alongside the intent to make harm to computers
- Unauthorized access to a figurer for obtaining information for commercial wages in addition to someone fiscal gain
Baratov was arrested on Tuesday yesteryear the Toronto Police Department, piece Belan in addition to the 2 FSB officers are inwards Russia. The U.S. of America has requested all the iii to survive handed over to seem upwards charges, but the US has no extradition treaty alongside Russia.
Meanwhile, Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord said that at that topographic point was no connectedness betwixt the Wed indictment in addition to the investigation into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in conclusion year.
The word of the arrest came few weeks afterwards Yahoo in addition to Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to bring down the cost of the upcoming acquisition bargain yesteryear $350 Million inwards the wake of the two information breaches.
The deal, which was previously finalized at $4.8 Billion, straightaway valued at almost $4.48 Billion inwards cash in addition to is expected to closed inwards the mo quarter.
