October 19, 2023 at 06:42PM
Sandu Diaconu, operator of the E-Root marketplace, has been extradited to the U.S. to face a maximum imprisonment penalty of 20 years. He is accused of selling access to compromised computers. Evidence suggests over 350,000 compromised systems were listed for sale on E-Root, including government systems and those from various industries. Diaconu has not pleaded guilty and is presumed innocent.
Meeting notes:
– Sandu Diaconu, the operator of the E-Root marketplace, has been extradited to the U.S. to face a maximum imprisonment penalty of 20 years for selling access to compromised computers.
– The Moldovan defendant was arrested in the U.K. in May 2021 while attempting to flee the country following the authorities’ seizure of E-Root’s domains in late 2020.
– Last month, Diaconu consented to be extradited to the United States for wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud, and access device fraud.
– Apart from the imprisonment, the U.S. law enforcement authorities seek forfeiture of criminal proceeds Diaconu made through illegal activities, which are yet to be determined.
– E-Root was an illegal online marketplace that offered access to breached computers worldwide in exchange for cryptocurrency.
– Evidence obtained during the investigation suggests that over 350,000 compromised systems were listed for sale on the market, including computers from a broad range of industries and at least one government system in Tampa.
– Buyers were given filtered search tools to navigate the available offerings, using criteria such as price range, region, ISP, operating system, RDP or SSH access, and more.
– E-Root operated across a widely distributed network for resilience and evasion and featured protections to mask the real identities of vendors, buyers, and administrators.
– The market also operated a dedicated cryptocurrency exchange service that enabled users to convert between Bitcoin and Perfect Money, an otherwise legal encrypted electronic transactions service.
– The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announcement says there have been many confirmations of access purchased through E-Root used for cybercrime activities, including ransomware attacks.
– Diaconu has not yet pleaded guilty to the charges outlined in the indictment and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Based on the meeting notes, key takeaways include:
1. Sandu Diaconu, the operator of the E-Root marketplace, has been extradited to the U.S. and faces imprisonment for selling access to compromised computers.
2. E-Root was an illegal online marketplace that offered access to breached computers worldwide.
3. Over 350,000 compromised systems were listed for sale on E-Root, including computers from various industries and a government system in Tampa.
4. E-Root had filtered search tools and operated on a widely distributed network to protect identities.
5. The marketplace also had a dedicated cryptocurrency exchange service.
6. Access purchased through E-Root was used for cybercrime activities, including ransomware attacks.
7. Diaconu has not pleaded guilty and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.