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U.S. Charges Russian As Major Hacking 'Ringmaster'


The U.S. Justice Department has charged a Russian citizen with being behind a worldwide cybercrime operation that affected hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses in several countries.

Evgeniy Bogachev is accused of being involved in attacks on more than 1 million computers.

The charges came as authorities obtained control of a botnet used to steal personal and financial data.

Computer users were urged to perform checks to protect themselves from the threat.

The U.S. Department of Justice said on June 2 that it believed Bogachev, said to be known as "lucky12345" and "slavik," was last known to be residing in the Russian resort of Anapa.

A spokesman said cooperation with Russian authorities had been "productive."

Charges against Bogachev included conspiracy, wire, bank and computer fraud, and money laundering.

The European Cybercrime Center also participated in the operation, along with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and Ukraine.
Based on reporting by BBC, AP, and Reuters

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