 |
| Prosecutors say the men carried out hacking for the UAE without obtaining the required US licences. (Photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Three former US intelligence operatives have admitted to breaking US laws by carrying out hacking operations for the United Arab Emirates. BBC said that the US prosecutors said the men had agreed to pay $1.7m (£1.2m) to resolve charges of computer fraud, access device fraud, and violating export controls.
They worked for an unnamed UAE-based firm and allegedly hacked into servers, computers, and phones around the world. There’s no immediate comment from the men or Emirati officials. The US justice department said the former intelligence officers, US citizens Marc Baier and Ryan Adams, and former US citizen Daniel Gericke - initially worked for a US company that provided cyber services to a UAE government agency in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The regulations require companies to obtain pre-approval from the US government prior to releasing information regarding a hacking operation and to agree not to target US citizens and permanent residents or US entities.
The justice department said it filed the charges against the three men under a deferred prosecution agreement that requires them to pay financial penalties, sever ties with UAE intelligence or law enforcement agencies, and never again seek a US security clearance. Earlier this year, the UAE was accused of using malware from the Israeli company NSO Group to spy on journalists, dissidents, and rival governments.
