Category Archives: U.S. Secret Service

Alleged Co-Founder of Garantex Arrested in India

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Authorities in India today arrested the alleged co-founder of Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for facilitating tens of billions of dollars in money laundering by transnational criminal and cybercriminal organizations. Sources close to the investigation told KrebsOnSecurity the Lithuanian national Aleksej Besciokov, 46, was apprehended while vacationing on the coast of India with his family. Continue reading Alleged Co-Founder of Garantex Arrested in India→

Feds Link $150M Cyberheist to 2022 LastPass Hacks

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In September 2023, KrebsOnSecurity published findings from security researchers who concluded that a series of six-figure cyberheists across dozens of victims resulted from thieves cracking master passwords stolen from the password manager service LastPass in 2022. In a court filing this week, U.S. federal agents investigating a spectacular $150 million cryptocurrency heist said they had reached the same conclusion. Continue reading Feds Link $150M Cyberheist to 2022 LastPass Hacks→

Russian Cybersecurity Executive Arrested for Alleged Role in 2012 Megahacks

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Nikita Kislitsin, formerly the head of network security for one of Russia’s top cybersecurity firms, was arrested last week in Kazakhstan in response to 10-year-old hacking charges from the U.S. Department of Justice. Experts say Kislitsin’s prosecution could soon put the Kazakhstan government in a sticky diplomatic position, as the Kremlin is already signaling that it intends to block his extradition to the United States. Continue reading Russian Cybersecurity Executive Arrested for Alleged Role in 2012 Megahacks→

$10M Is Yours If You Can Get This Guy to Leave Russia

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The U.S. government this week put a $10 million bounty on the head of a Russian man who for the past 18 years operated Try2Check, one of the cybercrime underground’s most trusted services for checking the validity of stolen credit card data. U.S. authorities say 43-year-old Denis Kulkov’s card-checking service made him at least $18 million, which he used to buy a Ferrari, Land Rover, and other luxury items. Continue reading $10M Is Yours If You Can Get This Guy to Leave Russia→

Two Persons on the U.S Secret Service Most Wanted Cybercriminals List Run a Managed Android Malware Enterprise Including a Black Energy DDoS Botnet – An OSINT Analysis

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Dear blog readers,This is Dancho. In this post I’ll provide actionable intelligence on two individuals on the U.S Secret Service’s Most Wanted Cybercriminals list in particular – Oleksandr Vitalyevich Ieremenko including Danil Potekhin f… Continue reading Two Persons on the U.S Secret Service Most Wanted Cybercriminals List Run a Managed Android Malware Enterprise Including a Black Energy DDoS Botnet – An OSINT Analysis→

How Cyber Sleuths Cracked an ATM Shimmer Gang

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In 2015, police departments worldwide started finding ATMs compromised with advanced new “shimming” devices made to clone data from chip card transactions. Authorities in the United States and abroad had seized many of these shimmers, but for years couldn’t decrypt the data on the devices. This is a story of ingenuity and happenstance, and how one former Secret Service agent helped crack a code that revealed the contours of a global organized crime ring. Continue reading How Cyber Sleuths Cracked an ATM Shimmer Gang→

Confessions of an ID Theft Kingpin, Part II

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Yesterday’s piece told the tale of Hieu Minh Ngo, a hacker the U.S. Secret Service described as someone who caused more material financial harm to more Americans than any other convicted cybercriminal. Ngo was recently deported back to his home country after serving more than seven years in prison for running multiple identity theft services. He now says he wants to use his experience to convince other cybercriminals to use their skills for good. Here’s a look at what happened after he got busted. Continue reading Confessions of an ID Theft Kingpin, Part II→

Confessions of an ID Theft Kingpin, Part I

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At the height of his cybercriminal career, the hacker known as “Hieupc” was earning $125,000 a month running a bustling identity theft service that siphoned consumer dossiers from some of the world’s top data brokers. That is, until his greed and ambition played straight into an elaborate snare set by the U.S. Secret Service. Now, after more than seven years in prison Hieupc is back in his home country and hoping to convince other would-be cybercrooks to use their computer skills for good. Continue reading Confessions of an ID Theft Kingpin, Part I→

Encoding Stolen Credit Card Data on Barcodes

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Crooks are constantly dreaming up new ways to use and conceal stolen credit card data. According to the U.S. Secret Service, the latest scheme involves stolen card information embedded in barcodes affixed to phony money network rewards cards. The scammers then pay for merchandise by instructing a cashier to scan the barcode and enter the expiration date and card security code. Continue reading Encoding Stolen Credit Card Data on Barcodes→

Aleksei Burkov, Russian accused of operating ‘elite’ hacking forum, pleads not guilty

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The accused Russian scammer at center of a geopolitical standoff pleaded not guilty Friday to allegations that he operated two hacking forums where members bought and sold payment data worth roughly $20 million. Aleksei Burkov appeared in the Eastern District Court of Virginia to refute charges including computer intrusion, identity theft and other fraud-related accusations. The 29-year-old St. Petersburg native arrived in the U.S. on Nov. 12 from Israel after a prolonged extradition battle in which the Russian government tried coercing Israeli officials into sending Burkov to Russia, rather than the U.S. Burkov appeared relaxed to the point of laughing at a joke Judge Thomas Ellis made about his own penchant for eating ice cream in the former Soviet Union. The defendant wore a dark green jumpsuit and had short hair. Defense attorney Gregory Stambaugh said Burkov has been in good spirits, a mood the attorney described as “amazing” under the circumstances. […]

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Continue reading Aleksei Burkov, Russian accused of operating ‘elite’ hacking forum, pleads not guilty→