Belarusian hacker Sergei Pavlovich, one of the world’s most notorious Russian-speaking hackers has stated that electoral systems are easier to hack than the likes of eBay or Citibank.
In an interview with the Moscow Times, the Belarusian cybercriminal revealed he was earning $100,000 a month as a “carder”. The now 33-year-old hacker bought credit card details from other Russian hacking talent before using so-called cash mules to convert stolen cards into money.
“Carders should be good at organizing. You need to know people,” Pavlovich told the publication. “Hackers very rarely resell, it’s more advantageous for them to have a few regular clients.”
Pavlovich, who went by the moniker ‘Policedog’ has now served 10 years in a prison in Belarus for cybercrimes and has offered rare insights into the Russian hacking community that has frequently fielded accusations of conducting cyber espionage and other cybercriminal activity on behalf of the Russian government.
He stated:
Russian hackers and Russian programmers are the best in the world because they don’t work by instructions or according to the rules.; they have an unusual approach and they find a way to hack things very quickly.
Pavlovich admits that his own hacking skills weren’t entirely advanced but his communication and engagement with other hackers from the cybercriminal community made him a leading figure in the cyber-underworld in the turn of the century.
“Carders should be good at organizing. You need to know people,” Pavlovich stated. “Hackers very rarely resell, its more advantageous for them to have a few regular clients.”
Pavlovich reveals he discovered credit card dumps, entire data clusters of stolen credit card details including PIN codes, used to create counterfeit cards. With connections to other hackers, Pavlovich bought and sold dumps and used cash mules to convert the data into money around the world.
While he did not comment directly on US allegations into Russian hacking of the 2016 US elections, he added:
It’s much easier to hack an electoral system than e-Bay or Citibank.
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