This premier episode of the Digital Desperados Podcasts introduces a desperado indeed. Maksim Yakubets, known primarily as “Aqua” is a Ukranian-Russian hacker who has stolen and aided in stealing hundreds of millions of dollars. Patrick McMurphy, who’s spent years studying hackers, joins Digital Desperados to tell of Aqua’s dark deeds.

Aqua and his hacking group “Evil Corps” employ the malwares “Zeus” and “Dridex” in phishing schemes reported in over 40 countries. These malwares are capable of replicating login pages to infecting your device through attached documents, and more. One of Aqua’s most notable attacks was on the Kentucky County Treasury in 2009, when he stole $500,000.

What’s Aqua up to now? He lives a life of luxury and is still “at large” with a $5million dollar ransom offered by the FBI for information that would lead to his arrest. It’s believed he lives under the protection of the Russian government, as they benefit greatly from his hacking capabilities.

How can you protect yourself against hackers like Aqua? Beware of “scammy” emails and delete them immediately. Patrick also recommends reviewing your accounts for any suspicious activity. 

And be sure to get protection from Safernet! It’s always “on” so your devices are protected 24/7. It can stop you from pulling up false login pages or downloading infected documents. It’s a VPN, virus protection, and internet filter, all offered in one incredible app.

This episode highlights the story and crimes of Alexsey Belan, a Latvian hacker best known for Yahoo data breaches and for stealing the information (login, credit card, etc.) of millions. All at about only 19 years old!

This highly evasive young man was also well-known for hacking into Wordpress and e-commerce websites. As such, the US put out an international warrant for his arrest along with a $100,000 reward. He was once arrested in Greece, but somehow escaped, fleeing to Russia where, of course, he found sanctuary as he’s worked with the government there to hack accounts of multiple foreign dignitaries and businesses.

Aside from his work compromising half a billion Yahoo accounts, Alexsey used his skills as a side hustle to drive Yahoo search engine users to his affiliate links, earning him what we now call “passive income.” Little is known about this mastermind these days, but it’s assumed he continues to steal and sell the information of countless unsuspecting internet users.

Safernet is made to protect devices from any malware or virus that might lurk nearby. So, while it can’t stop your accounts from being hacked from criminals like Alexsey Belan, it can secure your business and family devices against downloading malicious materials, showing you explicit content that you don’t want to see, and hiding your location and device information from those with harmful intent. We recommend getting the Safernet app on all your devices!

It seems that Alberto Gonzalez has always been a thrill seeker. From hacking into NASA at just 14 years old to eventually working as a government spy, Gonzalez seemed to have a love for getting into trouble. From his early hacking days, he began collecting, using, and selling credit card information, which he continued to do throughout his life of crime.

Even though he was caught, arrested, and worked as a government spy in the hacking community, Gonzalez still went back to organizing and executing cyber-attacks that stole millions of credit and debit card numbers. This was probably needed because of the lavish lifestyle he’d become accustomed to, which included drugs, luxury cars, posh hotels, and parties.

Being back on the government’s cybercrime radar, it only took Alberto one slip-up to get caught and lose it all. To this day, he’s serving a prison sentence for multiple company breaches that he orchestrated. When asked about why he committed these crimes, he’s quoted saying, “Whatever morality I should have been feeling was trumped by the thrill.” 

This story shows just how easy it can be for hackers to access your information at airports, cafes, and the like, if you don’t have a 24/7 VPN on your device. Safernet makes it extremely difficult for cybercriminals to access your computer, tablet, and phone. Get protected today!