RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN HACKERS STOLE OVER A MILLION OF CREDIT CARD NUMBERS FROM US COMPANIES








WASHINGTON, D.C., March 9, 2001 /Nikolai Vlasov, RIA Novosti Correspondent/ -- Hackers from Russia and Ukraine stole over a million credit card numbers from various US companies, according to a statement released by the National Infrastructure Protection Center /NIPC/ of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.


	The NIPC's report maintains that probes had detected a number of organized hacker group operating in the Eastern Europe, specifically in Russia and Ukraine. These groups used the Internet to penetrate into corporate networks of a number of US companies and steal credit card numbers. Over 40 investigations are currently underway.


	US experts emphasize the upsurge in the illegal use of non-authentic credit cards in Russia as credit card number theft grows in the US.