According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), British and American law enforcement authorities have identified two masterminds of the "most dangerous cybercrime group in the world". 32-year-old Maksim Yakubets and 38-year-old Igor Turashev have done "hundreds of millions of pounds" of damage to the hacking group "Evil Corp" in the UK alone. The US Department of Justice, on the other hand, says that the hackers' scams are said to have "brought people around tens of millions of dollars worldwide."
For clues leading to the capture of Yakubet, the US has announced a $ 5 million reward. We are talking about the highest amount ever raised for a cybercriminal. The problem: Yakubets and Turashev are hiding in Russia.
Although the NCA sounds that Yakubet is "arrested and extradited to the US" as soon as he leaves "the security of Russia", it is unlikely that it will actually happen. All the more so since the US Treasury also accused Yakubets of working for the Russian secret service FSB since 2017.
Accordingly, the suspect 2018 has been authorized by FSB for dealing with secret information. In addition, he is said to have procured secret documents for the secret service in 2017 on behalf of the FSB using "cyber methods" and to have carried out "cyber operations" on his behalf. The Ministry of Finance does not explain what kind of orders it is.
FBI / REUTERS
Always nice and friendly: On the wanted poster of the FBI smiles at the viewer a mostly good-natured Maksim Yakubets.
On the other hand, the authorities are more explicit in their allegations regarding the criminal actions of the Russians. So Yakubets and Turashev are said to have carried out their digital raids with "dozens of people operating out of the cellars of Moscow cafés."
It is said that they are responsible, among other things, for a malware called Didrex, which has been foisted on the victims with phishing emails. According to investigators, alleged perpetrators sent fake e-mails via a botnet-hijacked computer, tricking recipients into clicking on a link behind which the malicious software hid.
Samuel Corum / Getty Images / AFP
Deputy FBI director David Bowdich (left) and colleagues at a press conference explain the allegations against Russian hackers
This software has then activated other malware, it is said, for example, so-called keyloggers record every keystroke to get to the passwords of victims. Another method was allegedly to lure the victims on websites that resembled those of banks, in order to entice them to enter their access data. With the data thus obtained the criminals are then the accounts of those affected emptied and the money over middlemen and their accounts have finally redirected to itself.
In addition, the perpetrators are said to have leased their malware and botnet to other criminals. For this they would have demanded a six-figure sum in advance and then half of the booty generated.
Expensive cars, expensive parties
How well this business model has apparently counted for the criminals, prove photos and videos, the NCA has published. The alleged perpetrators can be seen in it with expensive cars and exotic pets. A photo shows Yakubets with his bride in a seemingly very elaborately staged wedding.
Members of Evil Corp are living a lavish lifestyle, funded by the life savings of their victims.
If Maksim Yakubets, who uses the online identity of 'Aqua', ever leaves the safety of Russia, he wants to be arrested and extradited to the US. pic.twitter.com/BdoaxZrFBK
The question now is whether the search for a summons from the Americans is enough to actually get hold of the two defendants. The Russian government has supported the US investigators, it is said. "That was helpful in the investigation," Deputy FBI Director David Bowdich said at a news conference, "to some extent."