July 15, 2024 at 07:24AM
Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, a Ukrainian national, was sentenced in a US federal court in Nebraska to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release, with an order to pay over $70 million in restitution and forfeiture funds. He was involved in the Zeus and IcedID malware operations, leading to significant financial losses and widespread cybercrimes.
From the provided meeting notes, it is clear that Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, also known as Vyacheslav Igoravich Andreev and Tank, was sentenced to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release in a US federal court in Nebraska for his involvement in the Zeus and IcedID malware operations. He was also ordered to pay more than $70 million in restitution and forfeiture funds.
Penchukov had been involved in the Zeus operation since 2009 and in the IcedID malware operation between November 2018 and February 2021. The Zeus trojan is estimated to have infected millions of devices worldwide, causing losses of more than $100 million. Additionally, the IcedID operation was disrupted by law enforcement in May 2024 as part of Operation Endgame, which targeted multiple malware droppers.
Furthermore, the meeting notes highlight the significant financial impact of the cybercrimes, including unauthorized transfers from victims’ accounts, losses of over $30 million to the University of Vermont Medical Center, and the use of money mules to withdraw funds and wire them to accounts controlled by the cybercriminals. The notes also mention the takedown operations targeting the Zeus trojan and botnets in 2010 and 2012 but note that numerous variants continued to be distributed for years.
It is also important to note that Penchukov was previously indicted in 2014 and had been on the FBI’s Cyber Most Wanted list for over a decade. This information provides a comprehensive overview of the meeting notes and presents a clear understanding of the discussed content.