‘Global reign of computer intrusion’ ends in guilty plea

A Russian hacker pleaded guilty for his role in one of the biggest thefts of client data from U.S. financial institutions, brokerage firms and media companies.

In a U.S. federal court, Andrei Tyurin, pleaded guilty to computer intrusion, wire fraud and bank fraud in connection with a major hacking effort targeting U.S. financial firms. He will be sentenced on Feb. 13, 2020.

According to U.S. justice officials, Tyurin participated in an extensive hacking campaign targeting financial institutions, brokerage firms and financial news publishers, stealing personal information from over 100 million customers.

He also engaged in cyberattacks against numerous U.S. and foreign companies, as well as market manipulation and illegal online gambling operations, generating “hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.”

“Ultimately, [Tyurin] gathered the customer data of more than 80 million victims, one of the largest thefts of U.S. customer data from a single financial institution in history,” Manhattan U.S. attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.

“With today’s plea, Tyurin’s global reign of computer intrusion is over and he faces significant time in a U.S. prison for his crimes,” Berman added.

James Langton

James is a senior reporter for Advisor.ca and its sister publication, Investment Executive. He has been reporting on regulation, securities law, industry news and more since 1994.