A cyber-criminal implicated in the most high-profile hacking attack of recent times was sentenced to 30 years in prison in Turkey yesterday.

Ukrainian Maksym Yastremskiy was accused of providing the financial backing for the hacking attack on US retailer TJX Maxx that saw cyber-criminals make off with vover 40 million customer credit card numbers.

The Ukrainian was not alleged to have actually conducted the hack, which involved breaking into store WiFi networks from a laptop within range, a technique known as war-driving, but of being the operation’s fence.

Yastremskiy was arrested in August 2008 outside a Turkish nightclub. Eleven other alleged members of the group behind the attack, which comprises hackers from all around the world, were also arrested that month.

It is thought that the group may have targeted other retailers beyond TJX Maxx, and that the true extent of their crime has yet to be revealed. Yastremskiy may be called upon to testify against the other alleged members in exchange for a more lenient sentence.