Three members of FIN7 (Carbanak) gang charged with stealing 15 million credit cards
3.8.2018 securityweek  CyberCrime

Three members of the cybercrime group tracked as FIN7 and Carbanak have been indicted and charged with 26 felony counts
Three members of the notorious cybercrime gang known as FIN7 and Carbanak have been indicted and charged with 26 felony counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, computer hacking, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The gang stole over a billion euros from banks across the world, the name “Carbanak” comes with the name of the malware they used to compromise computers at banks and other financial institutions. The three suspects (Dmytro Fedorov, 44, Fedir Hladyr, 33, and Andrii Kopakov, 30) are Ukrainians, they were arrested last year in Europe between January and June.

Fedorov, is a skilled hacker and, who is suspected to be a manager of the group, was arrested at the request of U.S. officials in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, in January and is currently waiting for his extradition to the United States.

In January 2018 foreign authorities also arrested Fedir Hladyr in Dresden, Germany, he is currently detained in Seattle pending trial. Hladyr is suspected to be a system administrator for the group.

In late June 2018, foreign authorities arrested Andrii Kolpakov in Lepe, Spain. The man is suspected to be a supervisor of the group. He is currently detained in Spain pending the United States’ request for extradition.

According to DoJ, the suspects stole more than 15 million credit cards from over 6,500 individual point-of-sale terminals at 3,600 business locations in 47.

“Three high-ranking members of a sophisticated international cybercrime group operating out of Eastern Europe have been arrested and are currently in custody facing charges filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A.” reads the press release published by the DoJ.

“In the United States alone, FIN7 successfully breached the computer networks of companies in 47 states and the District of Columbia, stealing more than 15 million customer card records from over 6,500 individual point-of-sale terminals at more than 3,600 separate business locations. “

“The three Ukrainian nationals indicted today allegedly were part of a prolific hacking group that targeted American companies and citizens by stealing valuable consumer data, including personal credit card information, that they then sold on the Darknet,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Because hackers are committed to finding new ways to harm the American public and our economy, the Department of Justice remains steadfast in its commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, interdict, and prosecute those responsible for these threats.”
The trio has been accused of targeting hundreds of companies in the United States, and U.S. individuals. The list of victims is long and includes Chipotle Mexican Grill, Jason’s Deli, Sonic Drive-in, and Arby’s.

According to the European authorities, FIN7 developed sophisticated banking trojan tracked as Cobalt, based on the Cobalt Strike penetration testing tool, that was spread through spear-phishing campaigns aimed at employees at different banks.

Once infected the victims’ PC with Carbanak malware, the hackers attempted to identify key people authorized to transfer money from the banks in order to make transactions to fake accounts or ATMs under the control of the gang.

The three men could face many years in prison if convicted.