Social media networks were abuzz with the news of the return of Algerian hacker Hamza Bendelladj to his country after spending years in prison in the United States of America.
Ben Dellaj, who is considered one of the most dangerous hackers in the world according to the US government’s classification, posted a picture of himself inside the plane on his Instagram account, accompanied by the Algerian flag, which sparked widespread interaction among social media users.
Ben Dellaj, nicknamed the “Smiling Hacker,” was described as one of the most famous hackers in the history of Algeria and perhaps in the world. He was born in 1988 and graduated as an engineer in computer science from Bab Ezzouar University in the capital in 2008. Then he began his activity in the world of hacking at an early age, and became famous for his ability to penetrate computer systems, as he was able to access bank accounts in 217 financial institutions around the world.
A series of international charges and investigations
The thirty-year-old man has faced several charges since 2011, including developing the “SpyEye” program, which allows access to computers and reveals sensitive personal and financial information. In cooperation with his Russian partner (Gribodemon), he planted the SpyEYE BotNet virus on 60 million computers, enabling them to steal the bank accounts of the owners of those devices.
According to unconfirmed reports, Ben Dallaj targeted many institutions and banks, including helping charities in Palestine by transferring stolen funds to support them. It is also rumored that he granted free visas to Europe to many young Algerians.
The authorities arrested Hamza Bendalaj in the Thai capital, Bangkok, in 2013, after a three-year chase by Interpol. He was spending a vacation there with his family when he was arrested at the airport.
After that, he was handed over to the American authorities and tried on charges of carrying out hacking operations and stealing bank accounts on a large scale. During his trial in the US state of Georgia, Ben Dellaj denied the charges against him, saying that he was neither a terrorist nor a criminal, but rather did what he did for humanitarian reasons.
He was nicknamed the “smiling hacker” because he remained calm and optimistic on the day he was arrested on charges of breaking into private accounts in more than 217 financial institutions around the world.
Ben Dellaj’s return to Algeria sparked mixed reactions, ranging from welcome to caution. Some Algerians demanded that his experiences be used to serve cybersecurity in the country, while others wondered how true the myths surrounding him were, especially with regard to his assistance to the Palestinians and humanitarian projects.
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Some of the most famous pirates in the world
In a report published by the Spanish magazine Tech Beat, writer Andrea Núñez says that electronic hackers have always been surrounded by an aura of mystery that arouses the curiosity of those interested in the world of cybercrime. Despite the fact that there are many of them around the world, there are more prominent names than others in this field.
The author added that the most important hackers in the world gained their fame through surprising electronic crimes, such as penetrating the CIA or the FBI, stealing millions of bank accounts, or penetrating major companies and brands such as Yahoo, Nokia, or eBay.
In 2016, the British young man nicknamed “Kracka” was arrested on charges of hacking the CIA and the White House. He was 16 years old at the time.
Kraka was able to hack into the personal emails of the Director of the CIA, the Director of the FBI, and the Director of National Intelligence. The young British man also hacked the phone of the Director of Intelligence and revealed the identity of 31,000 agents belonging to the United States government.
In the mid-nineties, Russian hacker Vladimir Levin was known as an expert in stealing money, as he was able to steal $10 million from Citibank customers without moving from his apartment in St. Petersburg.
He had to return the money and spend 3 years in prison, in addition to a fine of a quarter of a million dollars.
