The US and UK announced charges Thursday against the Russian hacking group Evil Corp., alleging that the organization was behind "two of the worst computer hacking and bank fraud schemes of the past decade."
Axar.az reports citing foreign media the international hacking schemes started in May 2009 and are ongoing, according to US Department of Justice and the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency. The two governments announced the charges of conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud and bank fraud against Maksim Yakubets, Evil Corp.'s alleged leader, and Igor Turashev, an alleged hacker associated with the group. Both are Russian citizens, and US officials allege that Yakubets has worked with the Russian government on other cyberattacks.
Along with the charges, the US State Department and the FBI announced a $5 million reward for any information leading to Yakubets' arrest -- the largest reward ever offered for a cybercriminal.
"Maksim Yakubets allegedly has engaged in a decade-long cybercrime spree that deployed two of the most damaging pieces of financial malware ever used and resulted in tens of millions of dollars of losses to victims worldwide," Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said in a statement.