Hacker arrested by State Security Service: 'My goal was to create program to protect Azerbaijani servers'

The trial of Tural Aliyev, who was arrested as a result of an operation carried out by Azerbaijan's State Security Service, continues, Report informs.

The hearing was held under the chairmanship of Judge Rashad Javadzada in the Yasamal District Court.

During the hearing, the accused Tural Aliyev, answering questions from his lawyer, stated that he had gained access to confidential information of the Ultra Technologies company: "When I logged into the system, I realized that it was an Azerbaijani company. I did not intend to gain any financial benefit, I only wanted to check the availability of the database. I wanted to create national software to protect servers in Azerbaijan from external interference. To do this, I tested the systems of foreign companies, gaining access to their confidential data. My goal was to demonstrate my capabilities and gain a reputation," he noted.

Then the judge read out part of the accused's testimony. It became known from it that malware, hidden correspondence, traces of cyber hacking and cryptocurrency were found on Aliyev's personal computer.

The accused admitted that he had a connection with a person nicknamed Karnaval, to whom he sold access to data of a company for $500. In addition, he received access to confidential information of a maritime company from Argentina and sold it for $350. The testimony also stated that the accused received 25 megabytes of data from an Israeli company and 1 megabyte of data from an American company.

Answering questions, Tural Aliyev partially admitted his guilt and stated: "I am a hacker. Foreign hackers have programs that prevent malicious access to the system. We did not have such programs. I wanted to create their national equivalent. My goal was to make a contribution."

According to Tural Aliyev, the head of the Idrak company, Hikmet Abdullayev, gave him 80,000 manats (around $47,000) and instructed him to do a certain job: "I wanted to create these programs and hand them over to the state. I had no other intention. I wanted to show my capabilities and get a job."

The next hearing is scheduled for May 1.

According to the indictment, Tural Aliyev, the executive director of Zeromap LLC, is accused of using programs that provide remote access to mobile phones and other technical devices, as well as organizing cyberattacks on large local and foreign companies between 2021 and 2024.

Since 2021, using computer equipment, he interfered with the mobile devices of individuals and legal entities both in Azerbaijan and abroad, and also gained access to classified data of foreign companies. Tural Aliyev was arrested under Articles 271.2.1 (illegal access to a computer system, committed repeatedly), 272.2.1 (illegal receipt of computer information) and 273-1.1 (turnover of funds intended for committing cybercrimes) of the Criminal Code.