Ukrainian national sentenced to prison for work with criminal hacking group


A Ukrainian national was sentenced to prison time for his work with a criminal hacking group.

Fedir Hladyr, 35, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday, about a year and a half after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit computer hacking, according to the Department of Justice.

The hacking group, known as FIN7, the Carbanak Group, and the Navigator Group, engaged in a yearslong malware attack that targeted hundreds of U.S. companies, mainly in the restaurant, gambling, and hospitality industries. They stole millions of customers’ banking information and then sold some for profit.

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Hladyr was arrested in Dresden, Germany, in 2018 and was then extradited to Seattle to stand trial.

“The defendant and his conspirators compromised millions of financial accounts and caused over a billion dollars in losses to Americans and costs to the U.S. economy,” said acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protecting businesses, both large and small, online is a top priority for the Department of Justice. The department is committed to working with our international partners to hold such cyber criminals accountable, no matter where they reside or how anonymous they think they are.”

The group breached business networks in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They stole over 20 million customer card records from more than 6,500 point-of-sale terminals. His tenure with the group began when he joined Combi Security, which the DOJ characterized as a “front company” for FIN7. He served as the group’s systems administrator.

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“These cyber thieves orchestrated an elaborate network of hackers and systems to infiltrate businesses and exploit consumers’ personal information,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald M. Voiret of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office. “Their specialized skills to target certain industries amplified the damage…

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