British man charged with cyber attacks on Lloyds and Barclays banks is extradited to UK from Germany

Lloyds Banking Group services were disrupted by an apparent cyber attack in January 2017, while Barclays fended off an apparent cyber assault in the same month.
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Francesca Gillett30 August 2017

A Surrey man has been brought back to Britain charged with carrying out cyber attacks on two of the UK’s biggest banks.

Daniel Kaye, 29, is accused of attacking and blackmailing Barclays and Lloyds in two separate attacks January this year.

He was in Germany but has been extradited back to the UK to face the charges, the National Crime Agency said on Wednesday.

Customers who use Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland were left unable to use their online accounts for over three days during one of the attacks.

According to the charges, Kaye allegedly used a “botnet” for the cyber assaults, which is when several infected computers bombard a system in an attempt to overwhelm its security and gain access to information.

​Kaye, of Egham, Surrey, was extradited back to Britain on Wednesday under a European Arrest Warrant, following an investigation involving the NCA's German counterpart the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA).

The defendant will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday, the NCA said.

He faces nine charges under the Computer Misuse Act, two of blackmail and one of possession of criminal property.

Among the charges he will face is a claim that he endangered human welfare with an alleged cyber attack against Lonestar MTN, Liberia’s biggest internet provider.

Luke Wyllie, senior operations manager at the NCA, said: “The investigation leading to these charges was complex and crossed borders. Our cyber crime officers have analysed reams of data on the way.

“Cyber crime is not victimless and we are determined to bring suspects before the courts.”

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