Accused Russian hacker extradited to U.S. to face charges he attacked Dropbox, LinkedIn

Show Caption Hide Caption Russian hackers hunt hi-tech defense secrets An Associated Press investigation finds that Russian cyber spies exploiting a national vulnerability in cybersecurity are trying to break into the emails of scores of people working on military drone technology. (Feb. 7)

An accused Russian hacker blamed for attacking LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring is finally facing American prosecutors after a lengthy extradition fight in the Czech Republic.

Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikulin is due to appear in U.S. federal court in California on Thursday for a detention hearing. He’s facing decades of prison time in connection with the charges. It's unclear whether Nikulin has any connection to the Russian troll farm the Internet Research Agency, which is widely blamed by American authorities for interfering in the 2016 presidential election.

But only two days after Nikulin's arrest, American officials for the first time publicly warned that the Russian government was directing efforts to influence the election by hacking and releasing private information.

“Computer hacking is not just a crime, it is a direct threat to the security and privacy of Americans,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “In this case, the defendant, a Russian national, is accused of breaking into the computer system of several important American companies using stolen identities, and potentially gaining access to the personal information of millions of Americans. This is deeply troubling behavior once again emanating from Russia. We will not tolerate criminal cyber-attacks and will make it a priority to investigate and prosecute these crimes, regardless of the country where they originate.”

Russian hackers are targeting the Senate and other countries The Russian group that hacked the DNC have repeatedly attempted to hack the US senate system - according to the cybersecurity firm tracking their movements.

Nikulin was indicted in October 2016 and taken into custody almost immediately by Czech authorities. But the Russian government also tried to extradite him on charges that some skeptics say were invented to prevent Nikulin from being interviewed by American authorities. House Speaker Paul Ryan raised the issue with Czech officials last month, and Nikulin was sent to the United States days later.

All three of the companies Nikulin is accused of hacking are based in California, although Formspring is defunct. Dropbox is a service allowing people to share files, LinkedIn is a social network for business connections, and Formspring is perhaps best remembered as one of the social media platforms that former Congressman Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., used to exchange smutty messages with a young woman who was not his wife under the name "Carlos Danger."

More: Yevgeniy Nikulin Appears In U.S. Court Following Extradition

More: Russian hackers: Cybersecurity firm warns of effort to penetrate Senate email system

More: FBI didn’t tell U.S. targets as Russian hackers hunted emails

More: Election hackers pursued reporters in Russia, United States: report

Russian hackers targeted over 200 journalists globally during election Over 200 journalist around the world were targets of phishing emails by the Russian hacking group “Fancy Bear” during the 2016 election. Josh King has the story (@abridgetoland).

Follow Trevor Hughes on Twitter: @TrevorHughes