The US Department of Justice has announced the indictment of four Vietnamese nationals, who are believed to be responsible for cyberattacks that caused more than $71 million in damage to US companies.
According to court documents, Nguyen Viet Quoc (a.k.a. Thien Nguyen), Ta Van Thai (a.k.a. Quynh Hoa and Bich Thuy), Nguyen Van Truong (a.k.a. Chung Nguyen) and Nguyen Chang Xuyen were members of the FIN9 cybercrime group. Between May 2018 and October 2021, the suspects hacked the networks of multiple US businesses to steal private information, employee benefits and funds, causing more than $71 million in losses.
The defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion and computer crimes, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and willful damage to a protected computer. Ta, Xuyen and Truong were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, and Ta and Kuok were charged with aggravated identity theft.
FIN9 hackers used phishing and other methods, including supply chain attacks, to gain initial access to victims’ networks. Once breached, they accessed employee rewards programs and diverted digital benefits, including gift cards, to accounts they controlled. The defendants also sold the stolen gift cards to third parties through social media and cryptocurrency markets.