Feds catch hacker allegedly responsible for LinkedIn hack
(Image: file photo)
The hacker allegedly responsible for the 2012 hack on LinkedIn has been arrested in the Czech Republic.
The Russian man, 29, whose name was not released, is wanted by the FBI to face charges in connection with hacking targets in the US. A police statement said he was arrested in the country's capital, Prague, after Interpol issued a red notice earlier this month for the suspect's arrest.
LinkedIn said in a statement, via Reuters, that the business social network has been "actively involved with the FBI's case to pursue those responsible" for the attack, which led to the theft of over 100 million accounts.
"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," the company said.
The suspect is not said to be connected to recent politically motivated cyberattacks in the US.
A court will now determine if the suspect will be extradited to the US. Russia is said to be fighting the attempt.
The attack on LinkedIn resurfaced this year after four years of lying dormant, after the number of accounts stolen in the breach rocketed from over six million to over 117 million accounts.
A seller, known as Peace, was the source of the leak. The seller also made a name for himself for selling accounts associated with dating sites Fling and Badoo, and Russian social networking giant VK.com.
He later claimed as many as 1.1. billion accounts associated with Yahoo. Months later, the company announced it was hit by "state sponsored" actors, which led to the theft of over 500 million accounts.
Peace, who would only speak over encrypted chat, couldn't be reached on Wednesday.