Two men were arrested for collaborating with Russian nationals to hack the John F. Kennedy International Airport's (JFK) taxi dispatch system, according to a press release by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
Daniel Abayev and Peter Leyman were charged with two counts of conspiracy to conduct computer hacking so that they can skip the long taxi wait line at the airport.
It is worth noting that taxi drivers must wait in a holding lot at JFK before being sent to pick up a fare. Taxis are dispatched based on an order generated by a computer system.
The indictment claims that Abayev and Leyman worked with Russian nationals to compromise the Dispatch System and prioritize certain taxis to the front line in exchange for money.
"As alleged in the indictment, these two defendants - with the help of Russian hackers - took the Port Authority for a ride. For years, the defendants' hacking kept honest cab drivers from being able to pick up fares at JFK in the order in which they arrived," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
He added that with the help of the Port Authority, the two men are now facing criminal charges for alleged cybercrimes.
Accusations from the Indictment
The indictment further claims that the two men and the Russian nationals were involved in the hacking scheme from at least September 2019 through September 2021.
They reportedly tried several ways to gain access to the Dispatch System starting in 2019, including paying someone to introduce a flash drive with malware onto computers connected to the system.
Abayev and Leyman allegedly gained unauthorized access to the Dispatch System through the use of a Wi-Fi connection and the theft of connected computer tablets.
The participants in the hacking scheme were reportedly communicating with one another via texts to compromise the Dispatch System.
The indictment alleged that Abayev and Leyman successfully cracked the Dispatch System on multiple occasions between November 2019 and November 2020 while collaborating with other individuals.
The report adds that they changed the dispatch system and moved particular cabs to the front of the line using their unauthorized access, enabling the taxi drivers to bypass other taxis who were waiting in line.
Every time a cab driver moved forward in line, the two men would allegedly charge them $10.
Members of the Hacking Scheme were also accused of granting waivers of the $10 price to some taxi drivers in exchange for convincing other drivers to pay the fee for skipping the line.
However, it is important to note that the indictment still contains accusations since the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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