Israeli super-hacker accused of masterminding $1.8m fraud

If you think that Gary Mackinnon has problems, then spare a thought for an Israeli hacker - known as The Analyzer - who is being extradited from Canada by the US government for his alleged involvement in a $1.8 million worldwide fraud.

The 29-year-old Israeli was arrested in August over charges relating to a $1.8-million theft from a Calgary financial institution.

While he was granted bail last week, he was arrested again on a provisional warrant under the Extradition Act before he could post the required $30,000 bail payment.

It seems that the Israeli hacked his way into a number of financial institutions and downloaded large numbers of payment card details, then sold them on to criminal gangs worldwide.

The US government now has 60 days to submit an extradition order to the Canadian courts to drag the self-confessed super-hacker to the US, after which Canada's justice minister then has 30 days to decide whether or not an extradition hearing can take place.

So, whilst a deal to allow Gary Mackinnon to spend the bulk of his prison sentence in the UK is (allegedly) being discussed at a very high level, I somehow doubt that the Israeli superhacker - who was busted in Israel for his earlier actions back in the 1990s - will get such lenient treatment...