Russian national facing 20 years for malware campaign that infected 80,000 freelancers

A Russian citizen named Searzhudin Tamirlanovich Aktulaev faces up to 20 years in prison after being extradited from Cyprus to the United States. Aktulaev is accused of conducting a phishing campaign that infected over 80,000 computers between June 2016 and November 2017, using malware called TVRAT and DarkVNC. These remote-control tools allowed Aktulaev to gain access to victims' computers and steal sensitive data.

Prosecutors allege that Aktulaev and his co-conspirators used fake user accounts to send malicious Microsoft Excel attachments to freelancers on an employment technology company's online platform. Once opened, the attachments prompted users to run a macro, which then downloaded the malware. The stolen data was then uploaded to a command-and-control server, enabling Aktulaev and his associates to carry out fraudulent and criminal activities.

If found guilty, Aktulaev could serve up to 20 years in prison and face a $250,000 fine. The other charges he faces carry terms ranging from two to twenty years in prison, along with fines. The FBI is currently investigating another major cybercrime, in which 153 million US and Canadian drivers' licenses were leaked on a Russian cybercrime forum.