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The U.S. government has secured the extradition of an alleged Russian hacker who allegedly served as a cardinal executive of the prolific Phobos ransomware mathematical operation .
Prosecutorssaid Mondaythat Evgenii Ptitsyn , 42 , was recently deport from South Korea to appear in a Maryland Union court on November 4 . Ptitsyn is incriminate of deal out the sale , dispersion , and operation of Phobos , a eccentric ofransomware operationthat was used by cybercriminals to set up cyberattacks and extort at least $ 16 million from over a thousand public and private victims globally .
Anewly uncertain indictmentreveals that these dupe let in a Maryland - ground company that provided accounting and consulting Robert William Service to federal federal agency , several Maryland - base healthcare provider , a New York - base law enforcement union , an Illinois - based contractile organ for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy , and a North Carolina - found children ’s infirmary .
The unnamed companies listed in the bill of indictment against Ptitsyn pay ransom ranging from $ 12,000 to $ 300,000 , with one of the victims — an unidentified Maryland - based healthcare provider — pay $ 2,300 to receive a decryption key to find access to their maliciously scrambled files .
According to the bill of indictment , Ptitsyn join the Phobos functioning in 2020 . Prosecutors say Ptitsyn helped to develop and dole out the ransomware to affiliates , who work as contractors , who practice the ransomware to launch attacks .
Ptitsyn and his carbon monoxide gas - coconspirator allegedly promote the Phobos ransomware for free through post on cybercrime forums , but would then charge their affiliate around $ 300 to get the decryption winder to enter the data that they stole from their dupe .
The feds said they caught Ptitsyn in part because the decipherment fees were transferred to a cryptocurrency pocketbook “ in the self-control and control of Ptitsyn , ” the bill of indictment states .
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Other cybercrime chemical group , including 8Base , have been known to use the Phobos ransomware in their onrush .
“ Evgenii Ptitsyn allegedly squeeze millions of dollar of ransom payments from 1000 of victims and now face justice in the United States thanks to the arduous work and ingenuity of law enforcement agencies around the world — from the Republic of Korea to Japan to Europe and finally to Baltimore , Maryland , ” said U.S. deputy sheriff attorney general Lisa Monaco in remarks .
Ptitsyn is charged with telegram fraud conspiracy , wire fraud , confederacy to consecrate computer fraud and maltreatment , and multiple counts of induce knowing damage to protected computers and extortion . If convicted , Ptitsyn faces decades in prison .
