Russian hackers Vasily Gorshkov and Alexey Ivanov were two years
ago suspected by the FBI of hacking into the networks of at least
40 US companies and stealing credit card numbers. According to
reports, they were contacted by FBI agents who offered them jobs
with a fictitious security company in the US.
When the hackers arrived in Seattle, agents posing as officials
of the fictitious company asked them to demonstrate their skills on
a computer. The agents allegedly used “sniffer” software to record
their activities.
When the hackers were subsequently arrested, the Russian agency
claims that the FBI agents illegally used the recorded passwords
and account numbers to download vital evidence from the Russian
computers, without obtaining a warrant.
In the US, Gorshkov has already been convicted of conspiracy,
fraud and various computer offences. Ivanov is still awaiting
trial. In Russia, the FBI’s Michael Schuler, who appearently led
the investigation, was on Thursday charged with hacking.
The case is thought to be the first incident of cross-border
hacking for the purpose of seizing evidence.
