Catch this shaven-headed, boat-loving hacker and earn $3 million

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
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Nice work if you can get it.

The FBI is reportedly offering a tidy $3 million reward for anyone who helps them catch Russian hacker Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev.

Bogachev mugshot

Bogachev is allegedly the mastermind of the GameOver Zeus malware gang that has made a fortune by infecting computers and breaking into online bank accounts.

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Since GameOver Zeus first poked its ugly head above the parapets in September 2011, it is estimated to have caused some $100 million in financial losses.

Clearly the US authorities are feeling frustrated that they haven’t caught Bogachev yet (they first issued “Wanted poster” for him in mid-2014), and are upping the ante by offering a cool $3 million to tempt someone into sharing details of where Bogachev is now, and what he might be up to.

Reward

According to the computer crime-fighting authorities in the United States, Bogachev – who uses online aliases such as “Lucky12345”, “Slavik” and “Pollingsoon” – likes to potter around the Black Sea in his boat.

bogachev-wide

So, if you’re in the area for work or your vacation later this year, be sure to keep an eye out for him.


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "The AI Fix" and "Smashing Security" podcasts. Follow him on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, or drop him an email.

2 comments on “Catch this shaven-headed, boat-loving hacker and earn $3 million”

  1. Coyote

    "According to the computer crime-fighting authorities in the United States, Bogachev – who uses online aliases such as "Lucky12345", "Slavik" and "Pollingsoon" – likes to potter around the Black Sea in his boat."

    While I try to not wish harm on people, I am not always successful, like here – I would much rather wish that people like him just find themselves in a potters field prior to adding litter to an already filthy world (to make use of the word potter like you did, albeit a bit differently). If nothing else, I'd rather him lose everything because he's a cheat and doesn't deserve any success; there really isn't anything nice to say about him. What that botnet does, and in general what this type (botnets being one example) of abuse does (and how it affects others and that includes more than regular users; it affects all users) shows some of the worst (sadly not the worst) of humans.

    1. gandalf THE white · in reply to Coyote

      Coyote – U R such a low life CLOWN…
      Nothing else – nothing more. Stop BS around and try to live your pathetic life alone…
      He didnt harm anybody really – but banksters – biggest criminals ever anyway…
      U R brainwashed by Ur masters from Wallstreet big time…

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