Judge in trial of alleged LinkedIn hacker admits doubt in evidence

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

https://www.cyberscoop.com/yevgeniy-nikulin-trial-linkedin-verdict-hack/

By Jeff Stone
CYBERSCOOP
July 8, 2020

Just when U.S. attorneys may have thought they were free of obstacles in their 
case against an alleged Russian hacker, a new one has emerged: the judge 
presiding over the trial.

Judge William Alsup openly criticized U.S. Attorney Michelle Kane on Tuesday, 
as the trial of Yevgeniy Nikulin resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nikulin 
is charged with an array of hacking-related crimes in connection with 2012 
breaches at LinkedIn, Formspring and Dropbox, in which he allegedly stole 117 
million usernames and passwords, then tried to sell them to others.

Through the trial, Alsup has questioned the government’s evidence against 
Nikulin. In March, after prosecutors questioned a witness about how Nikulin 
allegedly accessed stolen usernames and passwords to infiltrate the Formspring 
site, Alsup told prosecutors they risked boring the jury with “excruciating 
detail that seems irrelevant.” He went on to wonder whether the Department of 
Justice “had some magic witness” who would provide a smoking gun.

After a months-long pause in the trial due to the pandemic, arguments continued 
this week, with attorneys and witnesses wearing masks and jurors seated six 
feet apart. The public is able to view the proceedings by a Zoom livestream. 
Closing arguments are expected this week.

[...]

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