US: Russian hacker admits guilt for stealing computer data

Pyotr Levasov has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud through electronics, identity theft and other charges.

Russia's Pyotr Levasov, who is counted as one of the world's most notorious hackers, has pleaded guilty to American charges that he led with the computer data theft network, the distribution of unwanted emails and installation of harmful software, the AP broadcast.

Levasov (36), who is known by names Peter Levasov and Peter Severa on Wednesday, has admitted to the Hartford Federal Court in Connecticut, that he is guilty of conspiracy, fraud through electronics, identity theft and other charges, the US agency claims.

Today's guiltyness must serve as a warning to all who use the Internet for banned purposes: The FBI will follow you no matter which country you live in and how long it takes to finally be arrested. We go away and no cyber criminal should sleep quietly”, said Bryan Turner, special agent at the head of the FBI service in New Haven, Connecticut, says Insideer.

Investigators have linked Levasov to a series of “botnets”, or with computers connected to networks that can send billions of unwanted emails to the appropriate “pam” emails.

US federal officials have announced that Levasov has controlled such networks, including those that “infected” at least 50,000 computers, in order to get to electronic addresses, users' names and passwords and sent in computer viruses and other harmful programs.

Prosecutors have stated that Levasov, in addition, has been mediating online forums used for the sale and trade of stolen identities, as well as credit card numbers.

Levasov was arrested in April 2017, while on vacation in Spain.

His arrest was one of a series of arrests of Russian cyber criminals outside Russia in the past few years, the AP claims.

Russian authorities have tried to prevent his extradition, however, in February Levasov has been transferred to the US, the AP writes.