LONDON — Russian officials say they have detained five hackers responsible for the theft of roughly $1 million from banks in Russia and Ukraine, breaking up a group dubbed “cyberfascists” for its predilection for Nazi imagery.
Cybersecurity company Group-IB, which was involved in the investigation, says the Siberia-based attackers used a homebrewed program called “The Fifth Reich” to harvest credit card numbers and intercept text messages traded between banks and their customers.
Group-IB said Monday the hackers were given their nickname for the use of fascist symbols, including eagles and swastikas, in their program’s interface. It said the arrests were made on March 24 but only made public over the weekend.
Russia’s Interior Ministry confirmed the arrests, saying that the program’s suspected author, a 25-year-old, was detained along with four alleged accomplices.
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