Two Russian hackers have been charged with using malware attacks to steal millions of dollars from regional entities, and one of the accounts affected was at an Indiana-based bank.
Reports say on Thursday, a federal jury unsealed a 10-count indictment against alleged Russian hackers Maksim Yakubets and Igor Turashev. The two had multiple targets in Pennsylvania including the Sharon School District, 84 Lumber, JWF Industries of Johnstown, First National Bank and Pennco Oil. The attacks happened between December of 2011 and March of this year.
One of the largest accounts hit as part of this case was Pennco Oil. The attack happened on the Friday before Labor Day in 2012, and the attack affected its account with First Commonwealth Bank. Reports say that the hackers flooded email accounts and jammed phone lines with calls that had no one on the other end of the line, so officials shut down email and phone service for the weekend. When Pennco officials got back on Tuesday, they said they got a notification from First Commonwealth Bank asking if they initiated a large wire transfer. First Commonwealth Bank said in a statement that Pennco was made whole again within a few days of the attack and since then, they “pursued our legal remedies and were able to recover the bulk of the funds.”
A $5 million reward is being offered for the arrest or conviction of Yakubets, who is accused of leading a decades-long cyber-crime spree. That is the most offered for a reward concerning a cyber-criminal.
