Fugitives added to FBI Cyber's Most Wanted List
Friday, 6 Dec 2013 | 4:00 PM ETCNBC's Scott Cohn reports that the FBI doubled the number of fugitives on its Cyber's Most Wanted list. Collectively, the new fugitives comprised millions of computers to gain millions of dollars.
The FBI has put out its new "Cyber's Most Wanted" list, doubling its size with five new names whom the bureau says are responsible for collectively compromising millions of computers.
"The ultimate goal of Cyber's Most Wanted is to help us capture these criminals and bring them to justice," said Emily Odom, a supervisory special agent with the FBI's Cyber Division.
Choosing people for the list, which was updated in November, was a complicated and lengthy process, Odom said. "We began by asking all 56 field offices to provide candidates to be reviewed. We then had special agents review this list and select specific criminals based on different elements to include the sophistication of the crime," she said, "as well as the number of victims affected, as well as the amount of damages caused by the crime."
Historically, the majority of hacker suspects have come from China and Eastern Europe. Three new people on the list hail from countries like El Salvador and Pakistan.
Many come from countries that are less than helpful with the process of bringing suspects to the United States, Odom said.
(Read more:More bitcoins. more problems: Hackers stealing bitcoins)
"There are definitely complications to bringing these people to justice from countries where they may not extradite their own citizens. But we are having success in capturing these individuals as they travel between countries," she said.
Here are the newest names on the "Cyber's Most Wanted" list: