04-26-2017 , 02:55 AM
http://news.softpedia.com/news/russian-h...5086.shtml Russian Hacker Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison in Credit Card Case
Roman Seleznev infected PoS systems, causing nearly $170M in damage to 500 small businesses and 3,700 institutions
Apr 24, 2017 00:29 GMT · By Gabriela Vatu · Share:
Roman Seleznev, the man that caused more than $169 million in damage after running a PoS hacking scheme, was sentenced to 27 years in prison, which is the longest punishment for a hacker thus far.
The Russian hacker ran his scheme between October 2009 and October 2013. During this time, he installed malware on point-of-sale systems (PoS), which then stole payment card details from buyers. The data was later sold on the dark web to the highest bidder.
In total, about 500 American businesses were affected, as well as 3,700 financial institutions. The data collected by the infected PoS was sent to servers Seleznev controlled in Russia, Ukraine, and Virginia.
The hacker was caught back in the summer of 2014 when he was on holiday in the Maldives. His laptop, which was seized upon his arrest, held more than 1.7 million stolen credit card details, as well as plenty of other evidence linking him to the servers, and the financial transactions he made selling the data.
"Simply put, Roman Seleznev has harmed more victims and caused more financial loss than perhaps any other defendant that has appeared before the court. This prosecution is unprecedented," the prosecutors said.
Getting away easy
Seleznev could have received a life sentence due to the scale of his crimes, but he must have been lucky. On the other hand, the apology letter he wrote to the court admitting his guilt must have helped a tiny bit.
In it, he describes his life story, how he picked up hacking and believed the community was a place he belonged to. "My mom would never be proud of me for this life," he adds for dramatic effect, although we're sure he's right.
Even so, 27 years is a lot for a hacker. "This investigation, conviction, and sentence demonstrate that the United States will bring the full force of the American justice system upon cybercriminals like Seleznev who victimize US citizens and companies from afar. And we will not tolerate the existence of safe havens for these crimes - we will identify cybercriminals from the dark corners of the Internet and bring them to justice," said Kenneth Blanco, Acting Assistant Attorney General, as a warning to other hackers out there.
Seleznev was found guilty in August 2016 on ten counts of wire fraud, eight counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, nine counts of obtaining information from a protected computer, nine counts of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Aside from this sentence, he still faces charges in other federal courts in Nevada and Georgia for similar crimes.
Roman Seleznev infected PoS systems, causing nearly $170M in damage to 500 small businesses and 3,700 institutions
Apr 24, 2017 00:29 GMT · By Gabriela Vatu · Share:
Roman Seleznev, the man that caused more than $169 million in damage after running a PoS hacking scheme, was sentenced to 27 years in prison, which is the longest punishment for a hacker thus far.
The Russian hacker ran his scheme between October 2009 and October 2013. During this time, he installed malware on point-of-sale systems (PoS), which then stole payment card details from buyers. The data was later sold on the dark web to the highest bidder.
In total, about 500 American businesses were affected, as well as 3,700 financial institutions. The data collected by the infected PoS was sent to servers Seleznev controlled in Russia, Ukraine, and Virginia.
The hacker was caught back in the summer of 2014 when he was on holiday in the Maldives. His laptop, which was seized upon his arrest, held more than 1.7 million stolen credit card details, as well as plenty of other evidence linking him to the servers, and the financial transactions he made selling the data.
"Simply put, Roman Seleznev has harmed more victims and caused more financial loss than perhaps any other defendant that has appeared before the court. This prosecution is unprecedented," the prosecutors said.
Getting away easy
Seleznev could have received a life sentence due to the scale of his crimes, but he must have been lucky. On the other hand, the apology letter he wrote to the court admitting his guilt must have helped a tiny bit.
In it, he describes his life story, how he picked up hacking and believed the community was a place he belonged to. "My mom would never be proud of me for this life," he adds for dramatic effect, although we're sure he's right.
Even so, 27 years is a lot for a hacker. "This investigation, conviction, and sentence demonstrate that the United States will bring the full force of the American justice system upon cybercriminals like Seleznev who victimize US citizens and companies from afar. And we will not tolerate the existence of safe havens for these crimes - we will identify cybercriminals from the dark corners of the Internet and bring them to justice," said Kenneth Blanco, Acting Assistant Attorney General, as a warning to other hackers out there.
Seleznev was found guilty in August 2016 on ten counts of wire fraud, eight counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, nine counts of obtaining information from a protected computer, nine counts of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Aside from this sentence, he still faces charges in other federal courts in Nevada and Georgia for similar crimes.
