A Russian national accused of hacking LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Formspring, and possibly compromising the personal information of more than 100 million users, has been extradited to the United States, The New York Times reported on Friday.
Prison guards walks outside a courtroom during an appeal by Yevgeniy Nikulin from Russia who faces charges of hacking computers of American companies on Nov. 24, 2017, in Prague, Czech RepublicPhoto: AP
Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikulin, 30, was arrested in October 2016 while vacationing in the Czech Republic by Interpol agents working in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Nikulin is facing three charges of computer intrusion, two counts of causing damage to a protected computer, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of trafficking and one count of conspiracy. All told, he could face more than 30 years in prison.
The Russian embassy in Prague called for Nikulin’s release at the time of his arrest. His attorney has said the charges are politically motivated.
The arrest occurred just days before President Barack Obama formally accused the Russian government of hacking into the server of Democratic National Committee — the pilfered emails from which were later handed to WikiLeaks.
In addition to allegedly hacking LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Formspring, Nikulin — who alleged used the names Chinabig01 and Dex.007, among others — is accused of damaging the computers of LinkedIn and Formspring employees, as well as stealing and using their credentials.