The two hackers used their computers in Russia to steal passwords and credit card details from US-based ISPs, on-line banks and e-commerce web sites. Once discovered, they were invited to the US for job interviews with “Invita,” a fake security company set up by the FBI.
During the ‘interview’ they were asked to prove their skills by scanning an Invita computer for vulnerabilities. The FBI used eavesdropping software to monitor every keystroke and obtain the hackers’ passwords. These passwords were then used to download evidence from the hackers’ computer system in Russia.
Gorshkov, who could have been sentenced to at least 16 years in prison, was also ordered to pay restitution of about $690,000 for losses he caused to Speakeasy Network and the on-line payment company PayPal.
The Russian state security service has filed a complaint, accusing FBI officials of illegally hacking into a foreign computer network.