USA prosecutors have unveiled charges against three men accused of hacking into a host of major financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, and stealing the data of millions of people.
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The 68-page document names the alleged hackers for the first time, leveling 23 charges against Gery Shalon, Joshua Samuel Aaron and Ziv Orenstein.
According to the indictment, cited by Bloomberg, the cyber attack targeted a business news publication, brokerages, and “one of the world’s biggest banks”.
The hack at JPMorgan, made public in October 2014, was the largest breach of an American financial institution on record.
Authorities said Aaron, a US citizen believed to be residing in Moscow and Israel, was a fugitive while Shalon, of Savyon, Israel, and Orenstein, of Bat Hefer, Israel, were in custody in Israel.
The new allegations against the four, all previously charged, broaden dramatically the scope of a wide-ranging criminal enterprise with hacking at its core.
The group allegedly manipulated stocks and conducted a series of cyberattacks on 12 companies, including JPMorgan and Dow Jones & Company.
The scheme ran for around 3 years, starting from 2012 till mid-2015.
They are accused of stealing the personal information of over 100 million customers, according to the indictment.
“We appreciate the strong partnership with law enforcement in bringing the criminals to justice”, JPMorgan said in a statement.
A press conference has been scheduled for later today to explain the charges.
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The cases are USA v. Shalon et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of NY, No. 15-cr-00333; and US v. Murgio in the same court, No. 15-cr-00769.
