Report: RBS WorldPay Hacker Gets Four Years' Probation

Robert McMillan writes on PC World:

The mastermind behind one of the biggest hacking paydays in history has been sentenced to four years' probation and an US$8.9 million fine, according to published reports.

Victor Pleshchuk, 28, was sentenced to four years' probation on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News. He is considered the leader of a group of criminals who organized a 2008 precision strike on RBS WorldPay, the payment processing division of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

In addition to the reduced sentence of probation, Pleshchuk must also pay back more than 275 million rubles ($8.9 million) to RBS WorldPay, Bloomberg reports.

Russia is trying to fight a reputation for being soft on cybercrime, but this light sentence won't do much to change that perception. Security experts say that Pleshchuk falls into the same category of highly accomplished cybercriminals as Albert Gonzalez, best known for hacking into retailer TJX Companies and the Heartland Payment Systems payment processing network. In March, Gonzalez was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

More here.