A U.S. court sentenced a hacker to five years in prison for fraud

A court in the U.S. sentenced Russian Anton Bogdanov to five years in prison for tax fraud and hacking, according to the U.S. Justice Department. In addition to imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of $ 476.7 thousand to the Russian.

According to the department, Bogdanov, 35, known under the online pseudonym "Kusok," hacked into the computer systems of private tax data companies in 2014-2016 with accomplices and obtained personal information of American citizens, such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The hackers were able to access these systems because of a vulnerability in a remote access program that employees used from home or while traveling.

By altering information on tax returns, the hackers sought to transfer the tax deduction to their accounts, the Justice Department said. The department estimated the damage from their actions at more than $1.5 million.