Vladimir Levin
Vladimir Levin is the "handle" of the mathematician who is alleged to be the mastermind of the Russian
cracker gang that stole
US$10 million from
Citibank's computer system. The bank was hacked from AO Saturn, a
St. Petersburg,
Russia, computer firm. Levin used his office computer to hack into Citibank's cash management system and transferred money to
Finland,
Israel, and
California. Levin and his gang were apprehended by
Interpol at
Heathrow Airport. All but $400,000 of the stolen $10 million was recovered by the authorities. For two years after his arrest, Levin resisted extradition to the United States, but lost his case. He was then sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay Citibank $240,015, his share from the heist. Since this hack, Citibank began using the Dynamic Encryption Card. This security system is unique to
Citibank. A 1995
Byte Magazine Article has more detail, but until 2005, the exact method he used to obtain the passwords was unknown. The hacker likely chose this name for its
Robin Hood-like associations.
In 2005 information about the case was spilled in Russian computer press by the actual hackers as the period of limitation of US law passed. In 2005 the actual members of the hacker group which hacked Citibank were respected figures in Russian IT business. Vladimir Levin is said to have bought the hack from one of the members of the group for $100.
*
TLC: Hackers' Hall of Fame*
Levin's Case, the Missing Chain (in Russian)*
Web Crackers and the Truth about Levin's Case (in Russian)
