Current:Home > MyGlobal hacker investigated by federal agents in Puerto Rico pleads guilty in IPStorm case-LoTradeCoin
Global hacker investigated by federal agents in Puerto Rico pleads guilty in IPStorm case
View Date:2024-12-23 23:35:50
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A man with Russian and Moldovan citizenship pleaded guilty to illegally taking control of thousands of electronic devices worldwide to rent them to clients who wanted to hide their internet activity, U.S. prosecutors in Puerto Rico said Tuesday.
The scheme ran from at least June 2019 to December 2022 and generated more than a half-million dollars, with unidentified customers paying hundreds of dollars a month for the service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico said in a statement.
Authorities said Sergei Makinin developed and deployed malicious software to gain control of people’s devices via an extensive network known as a “botnet,” which was dubbed IPStorm.
He then sold illegal access to the hijacked devices to clients seeking to keep their internet activities private, advertising that he had more than 23,000 “highly anonymous” proxies available worldwide, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Makinin pleaded guilty as part of a deal with federal authorities. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
His lawyer, Javier Micheo Marcial, declined comment when reached by The Associated Press.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s San Juan office and prosecuted by federal prosecutors in Puerto Rico because infected computers were reported in various towns in the U.S. territory. However, Makinin was living in Spain at the time, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“This case serves as a warning that the reach of the law is long, and criminals anywhere who use computers to commit crimes may end up facing the consequences of their actions in places they did not anticipate,” U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow said in a statement.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views
- Why Bling Empire's Kelly Mi Li Didn't Leave Home for a Month After Giving Birth
- Margot Robbie and Husband Tom Ackerley Step Out for Rare Date Night at Chanel Cruise Show
- ZeaChem CEO: Sound Cellulosic Biofuel Solutions Will Proceed Without U.S. Subsidies
- Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
- WHO renames monkeypox as mpox, citing racist stigma
- Depression And Alzheimer's Treatments At A Crossroads
- Medical bills remain inaccessible for many visually impaired Americans
- Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
- Isle of Paradise Flash Deal: Save 56% on Mess-Free Self-Tanning Mousse
Ranking
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- Why Andy Cohen Was Very Surprised by Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's Divorce
- To fight 'period shame,' women in China demand that trains sell tampons
- Why Pat Sajak's Daughter Maggie Is Stepping in for Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- South Carolina officer rescues woman mouthing help me during traffic stop
- InsideClimate News to Host 2019 Investigative Journalism Fellow
- How banks and hospitals are cashing in when patients can't pay for health care
Recommendation
-
Food prices worried most voters, but Trump’s plans likely won’t lower their grocery bills
-
'Running While Black' tells a new story about who belongs in the sport
-
Control of Congress matters. But which party now runs your state might matter more
-
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Latest PDA Photo Will Make You Blush
-
Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
-
Welcome to Plathville Star Olivia Plath's 15-Year-Old Brother Dead After Unexpected Accident
-
Get a $49 Deal on $110 Worth of Tarte Makeup That Blurs the Appearance of Pores and Fine Lines
-
Trump: America First on Fossil Fuels, Last on Climate Change