Former Russian Cybersecurity Chief Arrested in Kazakhstan on U.S. Hacking Charges
Nikita Kislitsin, a former cybersecurity specialist, has been arrested in Kazakhstan on decade-old hacking charges from the U.S. Department of Justice. The arrest comes amidst a complex backdrop of geopolitical tensions and Kislitsin's past affiliations with Russian cybersecurity firms.
Kislitsin, once the head of network security at a top Russian cybersecurity firm, is accused of hacking into the social networking site Formspring in 2012. He is also alleged to have conspired in the theft of usernames and passwords from LinkedIn and Dropbox that same year. The U.S. has an outstanding $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of two alleged cybercriminals connected to Kislitsin, Oleg Tolstikh and Oleksandr Vitalyevich Ieremenko.
Kislitsin's past is intertwined with controversial figures. He allegedly conspired with Yevgeniy Nikulin, convicted in 2020 for stealing usernames and passwords from the same sites. Kislitsin was hired by Group-IB in 2013, nearly six months after the Formspring hack. He later worked for a Russian organization called FACCT, where he was responsible for developing its network security business. FACCT has confirmed that Kislitsin is currently under temporary detention in Kazakhstan.
The Kremlin is signaling it intends to block Kislitsin's extradition to the United States, potentially putting Kazakhstan in a diplomatic bind. This decision comes despite the absence of publicly documented criminal charges against Kislitsin by Russian authorities. International cybersecurity sources have not confirmed any formal investigation or charges against him by Russian authorities.
Kislitsin's arrest in Kazakhstan on U.S. hacking charges adds another layer to the complex geopolitical dynamics surrounding cybercrime. His past affiliations with Russian cybersecurity firms and alleged connections to international cybercriminals have drawn attention. However, the lack of publicly documented criminal charges against him by Russian authorities leaves the situation open to interpretation. The potential block on his extradition by the Kremlin further complicates the matter, with Kazakhstan caught in the middle.
