Hackers in possession of data on 20 million people have been arrested in Istanbul
In Istanbul, law enforcement officers carried out an operation against cybercriminals suspected of unauthorised access to computer systems for criminal purposes.
According to the investigation, the group was led by suspect G.C.G.
The operation was carried out as part of an investigation being conducted by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office. As a result, seven suspects were arrested.
The investigation established that the hacking group used cyber theft to transfer funds from so-called ‘dormant’ bank accounts in foreign banks to their own accounts.
It is also reported that the suspects stole and stored the personal data of 20 million people. Furthermore, they gained access to data from numerous social media accounts.
A statement from the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office noted that the hackers also gained access to the databases of certain government agencies. According to the investigation, they sold the personal data obtained from these sources via a dedicated platform.
It has also been established that the hackers stored numerous photographs of people holding documents, taken for security checks.
During searches of the suspects’ addresses, a large amount of digital material was seized.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
As a reminder, cybersecurity researchers have discovered a powerful set of exploits called Coruna, capable of hacking iPhones running outdated versions of iOS. According to Google, this tool was used in a large-scale hacking campaign targeting Ukrainian users.
