Ukrainian law enforcement recently arrested a 35-year-old man accused of hacking over 5,000 customer accounts of a hosting company to mine cryptocurrency, resulting in a loss of $4.5 million.
Hacker Deploys Software to Remotely Manipulate Servers
Ukrainian cyber police officers and investigators from the Zaporizhia region recently arrested a 35-year-old man accused of hacking over 5,000 customer accounts of a hosting company to mine cryptocurrency. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) reportedly provided support, while the Department of International Police Cooperation assisted local law enforcement agencies in taking down the hacker.
According to a statement released by the Cyber Police Department, the unnamed man, a native of Poltava, had been at this since 2018 when he began probing for vulnerabilities in the servers of different international companies. After exploiting the vulnerabilities to gain entry, the hacker deployed software that simulates the operation of a computer. As a consequence of the hacker’s actions, the hosting company lost $4.5 million, or 185 million hryvnias.
Following the hacker’s arrest, law enforcement agencies also confiscated devices, including mobile phones and credit cards, which had evidence of the man’s illegal activities. Some of the uncovered evidence included crypto wallets used to store the mined cryptocurrency and software for configuring, launching and managing the mining of cryptocurrency. Police also found authorization data of email accounts used to conduct the hacks, as well as software for remotely managing compromised servers.
The statement meanwhile said the hacker was charged under Part 5 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which outlines penalties for breaching communication networks. Individuals found guilty of violating the code face up to 15 years in jail, as well as restrictions from engaging in certain activities for up to three years.
Source: Bitcoin
