RAKBANK and Bank of Muscat Believed to Be Victims of $45M / €34M Cyber Heist

Last week, US authorities charged 8 individuals believed to be involved in a scheme in which fraudsters withdrew a total of $45 million (€34 million) from ATMs all around the world. Prosecutors haven’t named the targeted companies.

However, Times of India has learned that the companies targeted by the cybercriminals might be EnStage and ElectraCard Services. The former operates from Bangalore, India, and is based in California, and the latter is based in Pune, India.

ElectraCard Services processes prepaid travel cards for National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah, or RAKBANK. By gaining access to ElectraCard’s systems, the attackers were able to steal $5 million (€3.8 million) from RAKBANK accounts on December 21, 2012.

EnStage on the other hand processes card payments for Oman’s Bank of Muscat. Sources close to the financial institution have told the Times of India that the bank lost $40 million (€30.8 million) in a heist that took place in February 2013.

Govind Setlur, CEO of EnStage, says the company has implemented additional security measures since the incident took place.

“Our customers were adversely affected by this sophisticated crime. We are deeply committed to information security, and we will continue to take all reasonable measures to ensure our networks are secured from criminal actors,” he said.

In addition to the United States, Germany has also arrested a couple of individuals, Dutch citizens, suspected of being involved in the operation. However, ATMs from a total of 27 countries have been used to withdraw the large amounts of money.

After breaching into the systems of the financial institutions, the perpetrators removed the withdrawal limits to make sure they could steal unlimited amounts of money.

Eight individuals, suspected of being part of the New York-based cell, have been charged. One of them – Alberto Yusi Lajud-Peña, believed to be the cell’s leader – was reportedly murdered in the Dominican Republic back in April.

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Sony Xperia ZR Goes Official with 4.55’’ Screen, Waterproof Capabilities

Today, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile made official a new smartphone in its popular Xperia lineup, namely the waterproof Xperia ZR.

According to Sony, some of the main features of the new device include the highest level of water-resistance, especially when it comes to capturing photos and Full HD videos underwater.

The new handset arrives on the market with a 4.55-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a 720p resolution, as well as with a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor packed inside, and 2GB of RAM.

Xperia ZR was also unveiled with 8GB of internal memory, as well as with a microSD memory card slot packed inside, with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space.

The mobile phone also features a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with Sony Exmor RS for mobile image sensor and support for full HD video recording, as well as a front camera for making video calls while on the go.

“The Xperia ZR pushes the boundaries on where and how consumers can use the full potential of their smartphone. By combining Sony’s leading camera technology with the highest level of water-resistance, you will never miss another moment,” said Calum MacDougall, director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications.


“Bringing together the best of Sony’s leading technology, media applications and easy one-touch connectivity with the largest ever range of NFC-enabled accessories, the Xperia ZR delivers the unique smartphone experience that people can expect from Sony.”

The new device also sports PlayStation certification, 3.5 mm audio jack, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, DLNA, NFC, Xperia Link, and the usual set of sensors.

Sony announced the Xperia ZR with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean loaded on top right from the start, as well as with a series of exclusive Sony applications and services, such as WALKMAN, and Album and Movies.

The mobile phone is set to arrive on shelves before the end of the second quarter of the year in Black and White flavors. No specific info on pricing has been provided as of now.

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Apple Will Bypass Your iPhone’s Passcode If Law Enforcement Asks It To

Federal agencies looking to catch criminals by peeking into their iPhones are asking Apple to bypass their passcodes and supply them with the necessary information to make the bust.

And Apple, more often than not, agrees. In fact, they reportedly have this so-called waiting list where feds take turns to get their mitts on precious information stored on wanted people’s iPhones.

All Apple does is use its engineering geniuses to bypass the phone’s passcode, download the decrypted contents onto an external memory device, and ship it to the law enforcement agency that needs it.

At first glance, this sounds like a really awesome approach to help the authorities to get their hands on the bad guys. But in reality, this raises serious concerns about the security of our data.

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8 Members of Cybercrime Ring Charged, Accused of Stealing $45M / €34M from Banks

United States prosecutors have charged 8 individuals suspected of being involved in a massive cybercrime ring that caused losses of $45 million (€34 million) to financial institutions from all over the world in a matter of hours.

The 8 suspects are believed to be the New York cell of an international criminal organization. Authorities allege that the defendants and their co-conspirators managed to withdraw around $2.8 million (€2.1 million) from ATMs in the New York City area in less than 24 hours.

The individuals – aged between 22 and 35 – have been charged, depending on their roles, with money laundering, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

Seven of them were arrested, while the eighth defendant, Alberto Yusi Lajud-Peña, aka “Prime” and “Albertico,” was reportedly murdered in the Dominican Republic in late April. Alberto Yusi Lajud-Peña was believed to be the leader of the New York-based cell.

According to court documents, the cybercrime ring used sophisticated hacking techniques to breach into the systems of global financial organizations from which they stole prepaid debit card data. By hacking into the networks of these companies, the crooks also managed to eliminate the withdrawal limits.

They utilized the stolen payment card data to make withdrawals from ATMs located all over the world.

Authorities say the crooks used a technique that’s known in the criminal underground as “Unlimited Operation.” They’re called “Unlimited Operations” because they allow cybercriminals to access “unlimited” proceeds.

Presumably, the defendants and their accomplices conducted two such operations between October 2012 and April 2013. 26 countries are involved in this case.

“As charged in the indictment, the defendants and their co-conspirators participated in a massive 21st century bank heist that reached across the Internet and stretched around the globe. In the place of guns and masks, this cybercrime organization used laptops and the Internet,” stated Loretta E. Lynch, United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

“Moving as swiftly as data over the Internet, the organization worked its way from the computer systems of international corporations to the streets of New York City, with the defendants fanning out across Manhattan to steal millions of dollars from hundreds of ATMs in a matter of hours.”

If convicted, the individuals could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison for each of the money laundering counts and 7.5 years for the conspiracy to commit access device fraud charges.

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