The Ukrainian Security Service and the FBI eliminated a powerful hacker group
Previously, Ehacking News reported that on July 16, it became known that the Ukrainian Security Service and the FBI detained hackers controlling 40% of the Darknet. Since 2007, members of the group have provided hackers and criminals from around the world access through Ukrainian networks in the Darknet.
Intelligence service established that the organizer of the group is the citizen of Ukraine, a resident of Odessa Mikhail Rytikov (Titov). He got serious about hacking in Moscow in the mid-2000s. In 2007, he began to provide services to hackers around the world through Ukrainian networks, carefully hiding the actual location of his equipment. From time to time, Ukrainian, Russian, and American law enforcement officers found the equipment, confiscated it, but the hacker group soon resumed its activities.
It turned out that about 10 accomplices were under command of Ukrainian hacker, as well as dozens of intermediaries in different countries and thousands of customers. Among them, for example, Eugene Bogachev, the developer of the virus ZeuS, who is wanted by the FBI.
It is established that Rytikov sold his services through closed hacker forums and specialized web resources, claiming that his server equipment is located in data centers in Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Germany, Panama, the Netherlands, Belize, Russia. In fact, the equipment was located near Odessa, in one of the unfinished houses. The room was equipped with secret telecommunication channels and even had its own elevator.
“Nearly one hundred and fifty servers were seized during the authorized investigative actions on the territory of a private house with a hidden data center with a backup autonomous power supply, security and powerful Internet access channels. Thousands of hacker resources were placed on them, some remained encrypted, many were set up in such a way as not to keep traces of criminal activity”, said the acting Head of the Cyber Security Department of SBU (the Ukrainian Security Service) Nikolay Kuleshov.
According to law enforcement officers, they seized 146 servers for hundreds of terabytes of illegal information. The total cost of the equipment, a powerful electric generator, construction and home improvement, agreements with power engineers on a dedicated electric line is estimated at 700 thousand dollars. Only one generator could cost about 150 thousand dollars. The data center could work for a long time even in the absence of electricity.
It’s interesting to note that among the crimes committed with the participation of Rytikov, law enforcement officers distinguish the spread of malicious software ZeuS, which was used to steal financial, the case of hacking the NASDAQ exchange, called "the greatest fraudulent scheme of this type ever implemented in the United States."
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