00:00Did you know one of the first big online bank robberies happened in 1994 and the thief never
00:04touched a vault? Someone in St. Petersburg, Russia, used phone lines to connect to Citibank's
00:10computers. Their target was the cash management system, which let big business customers move
00:15huge sums of money electronically. The attacker logged in using real customer passwords and ID
00:20codes. Then the money started moving. Wire transfers sent funds to accounts in several
00:24countries, including Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Israel, and the United States.
00:30In total, about $10 million was sent out. Citibank noticed and called the FBI. Investigators
00:36traced the connections back to Russia. They watched the transfers, and when accomplices
00:41tried to pull cash out of the accounts, they were caught. The case pointed to Vladimir Levin,
00:46a Russian computer specialist. He was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport in March 1995.
00:51After a long legal fight, he was sent to the United States in 1997. He pleaded guilty
00:57and got three years in prison, but one question was never settled. Did Levin break in himself,
01:01or did he buy the stolen passwords from someone else? Sources still disagree. Citibank got back
01:07nearly all the money, but the lesson stayed. Steal the login, and you don't need to break the vault.
