Lucky Russian avoids prison for $10 million ATM hack

A RUSSIAN HACKER has avoided prison despite pleading guilty for his part in stealing $10 million from the former Royal Bank of Scotland division Worldpay.

Three years ago, 27-year old Yevgeny Anikin was involved in an international cyber crime that hacked into the computer network of RBS Worldpay, which used to be the US payment division of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The group found a way of hacking into the data encryption used by RBS WorldPay to protect payroll debit cards that employees used to withdraw salaries from ATMs.

After compromising the system, the hackers allegedly copied information, boosted the maximum withdrawal limit and raided cash machines in Europe, Asia and the US.

Although Anikin pleaded guility, he avoid a stint of porridge by receiving a five-year suspended sentence, RIAN News reported. The judge must have listened to his plea for leniency even though he had bought two apartments and a car with the proceeds, perhaps because he said that he's trying to pay the money back.

Anikin is a lucky man, as other members of the gang have and will receive prison sentences. The hacker was fortunate that he wasn't extradited to the US, where a judge might not have been quite so sympathetic to an Eastern European begging for his freedom. µ