A Russian man has been charged in the United States for his role in a cyber crime gang that infected over a million PCs around the world with software used to steal bank details.

Evgeniy Bogachev, who was last known to be living in Russia, was indicted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His charges include conspiracy, wire, bank and computer fraud, and money laundering.

James M. Cole, US Deputy Attorney General:
“Gameover Zeus is the most sophisticated and damaging botnet we have ever encountered, frequently targeting the computers of small and mid-sized businesses, the Gameover Zeus software intercepts passwords and other private information that can be used to conduct wire transfers, and then initiates or redirects wire transfers from victim’s bank accounts, to foreign accounts controlled by criminals.”

US authorities have been in contact with their counterparts in Russia in an attempt to locate Bogachov.

Internet service providers have begun to contact affected customers.

Three US banks are known to have been victims of the cyber attack.