Russian hacker detained over 2012 LinkedIn hacks allegation
CZECH REPUBLIC, Prague - Four years after a hacker compromised 100 million LinkedIn accounts, a 29-year-old Russian man believed to be involved in the 2012 criminal hacking was detained by Czech police in a central Prague hotel. Police spokesperson David Schön said the arrest was not announced immediately for tactical reasons.
An international warrant had been issued by Interpol and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) coordinated with Czech and Interpol for the arrest. A statement from Czech police spokesperson suggests a Russian-born hacker named Yevgeniy N was arrested on the same day in response to Interpol request but officially the name has not been released yet.
The 2012-breach compromised over 100 million user data. Following the announcement of the arrest, in a statement LinkedIn Corp said, “Following the 2012 breach of LinkedIn member information, we have remained actively involved with the FBI's case to pursue those responsible. We are thankful for the hard work and dedication of the FBI in its efforts to locate and capture the parties believed to be responsible for this criminal activity."
However, Andrei Kolmakov, a spokesperson of Russian embassy in Prague insisted the detainee to be handed over to Russia. He also added that the embassy had been notified about the arrest. But Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitri S Peskov denied having any information on the matter. Czech police although have left it to the court to decide if the suspect is to be extradited to the United States.
The incident comes in the wake of WikiLeaks and DCLeaks.com leaking emails of U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The director of U.S. national intelligence said in a statement that Russian officials were intending to alter the U.S. election. But the arrested man in Prague is not linked to the ‘email hacks.’
Yet reports suggest that Prague has been the hub for Russian hackers for some time now.
Jakub Janda, the deputy director of the European Values Think-Tank in Prague said, “The arrest served as confirmation that the Czech Republic is so far considered a safe base for Russian intelligence and influence activities focused on Western targets.”
“Prague is unofficially considered to be a springboard for some Kremlin activities inside Europe, also using huge Russian diplomatic presence of approximately 140 staff. Western governments are waking up and finally considering hostile Russian intelligence and disinformation operations to be an open and urgent threat, even at the level of the U.S. administration. Open arrests of hostile individuals such as this one can serve as a deterrent element,” Janda added.