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Inside the Hunt for Russia’s Most Notorious Hacker

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Inside the Hunt for Russia’s Most Notorious Hacker

Wired,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev stole more than $100 million with his ingenious malware, but his crime was just a cover for espionage.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Was one of world’s most successful cybercriminals also a spy? Wired editor Garrett M. Graff explains how Zeus malware inventor Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and his criminal networks stole millions of dollars from individuals, businesses and banks worldwide between 2006 and 2014. Graff further explores how the FBI and other cybercrime experts worked to bring the Zeus networks down and reveals how their work inadvertently uncovered ties to Russian intelligence. getAbstract recommends this article to everyone interested in cybercrime, cybersecurity, and clandestine intelligence-gathering.

Summary

When FBI agent James Craig first began investigating Zeus malware in 2009, the software, which allows hackers to secretly monitor and steal the information that targets enter into websites, had already been in existence for nearly three years. Indeed, by the time Craig started tracking Zeus, the malware’s mysterious inventor, known as “Slavik,” was already rolling out an improved version of the malware called Jabber Zeus to a select network of thieves. This group specifically targeted banks and corporate accounts for big-ticket crime rather than relying...

About the Author

Garrett M. Graff writes about tech and politics at Wired. He served as editor of Washingtonian and The Politico. His books include The Threat Matrix: The FBI at War in the Age of Global Terror. 

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