Trickbot Ransomware Developer Behind $833M Crypto Theft Gets Prison Term
A 40-year-old Russian developer of Trickbot ransomware has been sentenced to a five-year prison term, according to the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
In a press release dated January 25, the DoJ identified the individual as Vladimir Dunaev from Amur Oblast, Russia. Court documents cited by the Justice Department reveal that Dunaev provided specialized services and technical expertise in the development of the Trickbot ransomware.
The malicious software was then used to target hospitals, schools, and millions of businesses’ computer networks, resulting in substantial financial losses. The DoJ stated that Dunaev, along with 10 other co-conspirators, caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to these victims.
Providing an instance, the US DoJ revealed that 10 victims in the Northern District of Ohio, including Avon Schools and a North Canton real estate firm, lost more than $3.4 million to the ransomware deployed by Trickbot.
Trickbot, which was eventually taken down in 2022, operated as a suite of malware tools focused on secretly pilfering money from their target victims and installing malware that cannot be detected by anti-virus software scanners. Its anonymity facilitated continuous breaches of infected computers.
According to a Chainalysis report in September 2023, Trickbot facilitated the deployment of several ransomware strains, including Ryuk, Conti, Diavol, and Karakurt. Using these tools, the Trickbot crew, as they were known, managed to pilfer $833 million worth of cryptocurrency assets during their operation.
Dunaev is one of the team members facing a jail term. According to the DoJ, he will serve a five-year and four-month prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and identity
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