A Ukrainian hacker has been caught selling confidential information collected from Ukrainian government databases.
According to a press release from the Ukrainian Cyberpolice, a hacker, whose identity was not disclosed, was able to break into several government databases and hijacked personal accounts of authorized personnel.
The hacker reportedly used careful approaches to break into email and social media accounts. Through this simple method, it appears he found 50 government databases with up-to-date information.
He then tried to sell the collected information on a hacking forum in exchange for cryptocurrency. Authorities did not reveal which currency was used.
Police searched the perpetrator’s apartment and seized equipment used to conduct these deals. A screenshot from what appears to be his computer shows a Skype supposedly related to these offers. The hacker told a potential customer that the price was “6.5 [roubles] for one valid [entry].” The customer was likely located in Russia, as currency is the hryvnia. The price works out to about $0.10 per database entry.
The perpetrator was charged with “unauthorized sale and distribution of restricted information,” a crime that carries a maximum sentence of in prison . Given the lack of high treason charges, it seems likely that the data was not extremely sensitive.
