Two cab drivers, Daniel Abayev and Peter Leyman, have been sentenced to prison terms by the US Justice Department for their involvement in a hacking scheme targeting the taxi dispatch system at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Abayev received a four-year sentence, while Leyman was sentenced to two years. They were also ordered to pay substantial fines and restitution totaling nearly $3.5 million.
The duo, along with two Russian nationals, Aleksandr Derebenetc and Kirill Shipulin, were accused of manipulating the dispatch system between September 2019 and September 2021. The scheme involved moving taxis to the front of the line at JFK Airport’s taxi dispatch system for a fee, allowing drivers to bypass the queue and secure quicker access to passengers.
Authorities revealed that the hackers utilized various methods to take control of the dispatch system, including exploiting Wi-Fi connections, using stolen tablets connected to the system, and even planting malware on computers connected to the network. As a result, up to 1,000 taxis per day were sent to the front of the line through the scheme, with drivers paying $10 each time they skipped the queue.
The Department of Justice emphasized the severity of the offense, highlighting the significant disruption caused to the taxi dispatch system and the financial losses incurred by drivers who were not part of the scheme. The successful prosecution of Abayev and Leyman underscores the government’s commitment to combating cybercrime and ensuring the integrity of critical infrastructure systems like airport operations.
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