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Justice Department Charging Russian Spies and Criminal Hackers in Yahoo Intrusion (washingtonpost.com)

Posted by msmash on from the growing-tension dept.

The Justice Department is set to announce Wednesday, reports the Washington Post, the indictments of two Russian spies and two criminal hackers in connection with the heist of 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014, marking the first U.S. criminal cyber charges ever against Russian government officials (Editor's note: the link could be paywalled; alternate source). From the report: The indictments target two members of the Russian intelligence agency FSB, and two hackers hired by the Russians. The charges include hacking, wire fraud, trade secret theft and economic espionage, according to officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the charges have not yet been announced. The indictments are part of the largest hacking case brought by the United States.

7 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. But but but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    https://yro.slashdot.org/story/17/03/15/0521225/hacking-victim-cant-sue-foreign-government-for-hacking-him-on-us-soil-says-court

    1. Re:But but but... by Kierthos · · Score: 2

      I think there's a bit of difference between "can't sue a foreign government" and "charging foreign spies". Now, if some of the users on Yahoo who were affected by this tried to sue the Russian government over this, that precedent could apply.

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    2. Re:But but but... by Kierthos · · Score: 2

      I seriously doubt anyone is going to put to death over hacking Yahoo.

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
  2. Can they now convict the U.S.? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since the U.S. hacks 1,000s of computers (both foreign governments and individuals), does this mean any other country can now pass laws against hacking and immediately convict the U.S. for criminal behavior?

    1. Re:Can they now convict the U.S.? by skids · · Score: 2

      A) No, see two articles down on the front page
      B) They could criminally charge our government employees, however.

      Legal words have meaning. Use them carefully.

      --
      Someone had to do it.
  3. Re:That's funny... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    One person did, but he's an abject retard so I didn't take it very seriously...

    I guess if you keep sticking your head in the ground to avoid noticing your President's treasonous collaboration with a hostile foreign government's hacking of our campaign, eventually your brain just stops working.

    Would a some Russian sponsored fake News which makes Donald Trump appear less like the puppet of a hostile foreign government make you feel better?

  4. Re:Hold on a mo. by tsqr · · Score: 2

    Both. You can't sue a foreign government because of Sovereign Immunity. But Sovereign Immunity doesn't apply to individuals, so you can sue a foreign person.