Russian spies and hired hackers are indicted in Yahoo security breach
dennizn / Shutterstock.com
Updated: Two members of Russia’s intelligence agency and two Russian-hired hackers have been indicted in the 2014 hacking of 500 million Yahoo accounts.
The indictments were announced Wednesday, the New York Times reports. The indictments represent the largest hacking case ever brought by the United States, according to an advance story by the Washington Post.
The Post says the charges aren’t related to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee or the investigation of Russian interference in the campaign. “But the move reflects the U.S. government’s increasing desire to hold foreign governments accountable for malicious acts in cyberspace,” the story says.
According to the allegations, Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, wanted to obtain hacked information about journalists, dissidents and U.S. government officials. The information obtained was also allegedly used for financial gain.
The charges include conspiracy, computer fraud, economic espionage, theft of trade secrets and aggravated identity theft.
The two FSB agents charged are Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev and Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin. The two alleged hackers are Alexsey Alexseyevich Belan and Karim Baratov.
Updated to report that the indictments were announced.
