After a security firm revealed the identity of a hacker from Kazakhstan , federal authorities in Seattle on Tuesday unsealed a 2018 indictment charging the same man with a series of cybercrimes .
According to the indictment, hacker Andrey Turchin, also known as “fxmsp,” along with his associates, had carried out attacks on government offices, schools, banks, and luxury hotels around the world.
The investigation revealed that Turchin is in Kazakhstan. Until recently, prosecutors had kept the indictment secret so that he would not learn about the investigation. However, as the US in Seattle stated, they believe that now Turchin is aware of the investigation to locate him, given his public recognition by the security company, there is no reason for the indictment to remain secret.
The government still hopes to arrest him and extradite him to the United States to face charges . It is unclear whether Turchin has hired a lawyer to defend him.
Singapore-based cybersecurity firm Group-IB published a report last month on fxmsp’s activities, revealing that it was Turchin. According to the firm, Turchin and his associates were carrying out attacks on organizations and then selling access to networks on illegal forums, promising buyers that they would become “invisible network gods.”
The group managed to raise at least $1.5 million, Group-IB said.
As the indictment further states, the hackers sometimes modified antivirus software settings so that they could not be detected, while demanding thousands of dollars from buyers for the data they stole.
Turchin faces five felony charges including conspiracy to commit computer hacking, computer fraud and abuse, conspiracy to commit online fraud and unlawful access to devices. The most serious of the charges, conspiracy to commit fraud, carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
