Evgeniy Bogachev - The U.S. State Department and the FBI on Tuesday offered a $3 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Russian hacker Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev.
Reports indicate that the reward for Evgeniy Bogachev, who goes by online aliases "slavick' and "lucky12345" is the highest the U.S. has ever offered in any cyber crime case.
"This reward offer reaffirms the commitment of the US government to bring those who participate in organized crime to justice, whether they hide online or overseas," the US State Department said.
Bogachev is already on the FBI's Cyber Most Wanted List and last year he was charged with administrating a massive cyber crime operation that stole more that $100 million from different U.S. banks.
"Bogachev allegedly acted as an administrator in a scheme that installed malicious software on more than one million computers without authorization. The software, known as 'Zeus' and 'GameOverZeus,' enabled contributors to the scheme to steal banking information and empty the compromised accounts, resulting in the theft of more than $100 million from U.S. business and consumers," the reward announcement read.
Federal authorities in Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh have charged Bogachev with conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering. He also faces related charges due to his involvement in a malware known as 'Jabber Zeus," an earlier variant of Zeus.
According to the BBC, Bogachev was last seen in Russia, where he is believed to be on the loose. His apprehension may be difficult as the U.S. and Russian don't have an extradition treaty.
Joseph Demarest, the Head of the FBI's cyber crime division, said Russia's internal security agency have expressed their willingness to work with the U.S. on cyber crimes cases. However, according to Reuters, this collaboration is not linked to the Bogachev's case.
Authorities say there are 60 different cyber-threat groups linked to nation-states under their radar.
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