Poland detains Russian hacker over online shop data breaches

A Russian national suspected of hacking the databases of online shops was detained by Polish officers from the Kraków branch of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime on 16 November.

As reported by RMF24, a Polish online news portal, investigators said that the Russian citizen had been detained by officers of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime on 16 November.

It has been established that in 2022 he crossed Poland's border illegally, and a year later he obtained refugee status in the country.

Prosecutors believe the man hacked the IT systems of online shops by exploiting vulnerabilities in those systems.

Once he gained access, he broke into the databases stored there.

According to the Kraków investigators, the hacker's activities may also be linked to other cyberattacks targeting companies operating in Poland and the European Union. The damage he has caused is currently being assessed.

The Russian has been questioned and formally charged. A court has ordered that he be remanded in custody for three months.

In Denmark, ahead of local and regional elections, the websites of several Danish political parties were targeted in a cyberattack; pro-Russian hackers claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Earlier, pro-Russian hackers claimed responsibility for attacks on Finland's Ministry of Defence and other official websites.