The US Department of Justice announced Tuesday the arrest in Texas of Igor Dekhtyarchuk, a Russian hacker who is accused of selling stolen digital data, such as access to thousands of emails and card payments.
In a statement, he reported that Dekhtyarchuk, 23 years old and on the FBI's most wanted hackers list, faces up to 20 years in federal jail if convicted.
According to the accusation, this Russian hacker operated the portal Marketplace A, dedicated to marketing stolen data related to online payments, credit cards and victims' personal information.
This portal would have sold access to more than 48,000 email accounts and more than 39,000 digital accounts from other applications.
The FBI traced the trail of Dekhtyarchuk, who was already participating in hack forums in November 2013 under the alias “floraby”, when he was still a minor.
The pirate began to announce the sale of digital account data on internet forums in April 2018, the same year in which he opened the portal.
An undercover FBI agent made 13 purchases on the Dekhtyarchuk portal that gave him access to a total of 131 digital accounts.
“This case exemplifies the need for all of us to take steps to protect our online identity, personal data and financial accounts,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Brit Featherston, according to the statement.
The Latvian authorities collaborated in the FBI investigation.
US President Joe Biden on Monday called on companies to protect themselves from possible computer attacks carried out by Russia in response to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its offensive in Ukraine.
“My government reiterates these warnings based on data from the ever-evolving intelligence services that the Russian state is examining different avenues of possible cyber attacks,” the president wrote in a statement released by the White House.
According to Biden, these practices are part of “the Russian playbook”.
“If they haven't already done so, I urge our private sector partners to strengthen their cyber defenses immediately,” he added.
Biden said the government “will continue to use all tools to deter, disrupt and, if necessary, respond to cyberattacks against critical infrastructure.”
However, he stressed that most of the country's critical infrastructure is owned and operated by private entities, which cannot be forced to take specific cybersecurity measures.
(With information from EFE)
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