February 18, 2024 at 02:39AM
Ukrainian national Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov has pleaded guilty in the U.S. for his involvement in the malware schemes Zeus and IcedID. He led prolific malware groups, causing ransomware attacks and stealing millions of dollars. Another Ukrainian national, Mark Sokolovsky, was also extradited for operating the infostealer Raccoon, which stole sensitive data from victims.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, a Ukrainian national, pleaded guilty in the U.S. to his involvement in malware schemes Zeus and IcedID, leading to ransomware and theft of millions of dollars.
2. He was a leader of the prolific malware groups, Zeus and IcedID, and evaded prosecution for years due to political connections with former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.
3. Penchukov faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count and is scheduled for sentencing on May 9, 2024.
4. Additionally, Mark Sokolovsky, a 28-year-old Ukrainian national, has been extradited from the Netherlands in connection with fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft related to the malware known as Raccoon.
5. At least 50 million unique credentials and forms of identification have been harvested by the Raccoon malware, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates.
6. Sokolovsky has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.