Russian Hacker Vladimir Dunaev Convicted for Creating TrickBot Malware

A Russian national has been found guilty in link with his role in producing and deploying a malware identified as TrickBot, the U.S. Section of Justice (DoJ) introduced.

Vladimir Dunaev, 40, was arrested in South Korea in September 2021 and extradited to the U.S. a month later.

“Dunaev developed browser modifications and destructive tools that aided in credential harvesting and information mining from infected computer systems, facilitated and enhanced the remote entry utilised by TrickBot actors, and developed a software code to avoid the TrickBot malware from being detected by respectable security application,” the DoJ explained.

“Through Dunaev’s participation in the plan, 10 victims in the Northern District of Ohio, together with Avon universities and a North Canton real-estate business, ended up defrauded of extra than $3.4 million through ransomware deployed by TrickBot.”

Dunaev, who pleaded responsible to committing computer fraud and identification theft and conspiracy to dedicate wire fraud and bank fraud, faces a optimum of 35 several years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2024.

Dunaev is also the next TrickBot gang malware developer to be arrested right after Alla Witte, a Latvian nationwide who, was sentenced to two many years and eight months in prison in June 2023.

The progress arrived nearly 3 months right after the U.K. and U.S. governments sanctioned 11 people today suspected of becoming part of the TrickBot cybercrime group.

TrickBot, which started off as a banking trojan in 2016, advanced into a multi-reason instrument capable of offering extra payloads to contaminated hosts and performing as an initial access facilitator for ransomware attacks.

Right after surviving legislation enforcement to dismantle the botnet, the infamous Conti ransomware crew acquired management over the operation. On the other hand, equally Conti and TrickBot suffered a main blow previous calendar year next Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when Conti pledged allegiance to Russia.

This led to a series of leaks dubbed ContiLeaks and TrickLeaks that gave absent beneficial information and facts about their inner chats and infrastructure, eventually resulting in the shut down of Conti and its disintegration into numerous other groups.

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Some parts of this article are sourced from:
thehackernews.com