They have infected hundreds of computers around the world, accumulating more than $ 100 million in a decade: two Russian hackers, accused of leading a group of hackers linked to Kremlin intelligence, have been charged in the United States.
Maxime Iakoubets and Igor Tourachev, head of a criminal group called "Evil Corp", have attacked banks, financial institutions, local authorities, private organizations and small businesses using the technique of Phishing ("Phishing"), detailed American justice.
Based in Moscow, "Evil Corp" is accused of spreading malware over the past decade – among them Zeus, Bugat and Dridex – hidden in e-mail attachments to access the identifiers and bank details of their victims. They then fraudulently transferred the money to bank accounts that belonged to them or that they controlled.
Zeus it would have been used as early as 2009 in the United States to extract $ 24,000 from the account of the Order of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, an organization in Illinois. The most recent attacks date back to May of this year.
"A computer-assisted robbery. "
US authorities consider Maxime Iakoubets as the leader of "Evil Corp", "Responsible for the management and supervision of the malicious activities of the group", and Igor Tourachev as "One of the administrators (…) having control over the software Dridex ".
Aged 32, Maxime Iakoubets "Is a real 21st century criminal who, by pressing a key and clicking his mouse, has committed computer crimes around the world"Deputy Justice Minister Brian Benczkowski told a news conference.
"Every computer intrusion was actually a computer-assisted bank robbery. "
He also reportedly collaborated "From 2017" with the Russian intelligence services (FSB) "On projects for the government"said the US Treasury, which has put in place sanctions against 17 individuals and seven entities related to "Evil Corp."
This "Direct help" provided in Moscow "Is an illustration of enrollment" by the Kremlin "Hackers for their own malicious activities", estimated the Treasury.
More than 300 victims in 43 countries
The network reportedly killed more than 300 known victims – individuals or organizations – in 43 countries, targeting NATO members, including the United Kingdom, who participated in the investigation, a US administration official said.
Mr. Iakoubets is being prosecuted by the courts of Nebraska and Pennsylvania for crimes committed in several US states. Mr. Tourachev is being prosecuted in Pennsylvania.
In the United Kingdom, "Evil Corp" has reportedly caused hundreds of millions of pounds of losses since 2014, according to the British agency against organized crime (NCA). In a statement, the NCA points out that Mr. Iakoubets is "A customized Lamborghini with a special license plate whose translation is "thief" and spent more than a quarter of a million pounds on her marriage ".
The two men were located in Russia and the US State Department offered a $ 5 million reward for any information on Maxime Iakoubets leading to his arrest. Two people involved in the Nebraska case were arrested in the United Kingdom and extradited to the United States, Benczkowski said.
