U.S. Trades Cybercriminals to Russia in Prisoner Swap

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:15:44 +0000

Twenty-four prisoners were freed today in an international prisoner swap between Russia and Western countries. Among the eight Russians repatriated were five convicted cybercriminals. In return, Russia has reportedly released 16 prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

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Lawmakers Probe Early Release of Top RU Cybercrook

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2022 15:37:43 +0000

Aleksei Burkov, a cybercriminal who long operated two of Russia’s most exclusive underground hacking forums, was arrested in 2015 by Israeli authorities. The Russian government fought Burkov’s extradition to the U.S. for four years — even arresting and jailing an Israeli woman to force a prisoner swap. That effort failed: Burkov was sent to America, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to nine years in prison. But a little more than a year later, he was quietly released and deported back to Russia. Now some Republican lawmakers are asking why a Russian hacker once described as “an asset of supreme importance” was allowed to shorten his stay.

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At Request of U.S., Russia Rounds Up 14 REvil Ransomware Affiliates

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2022 22:41:34 +0000

The Russian government said today it arrested 14 people accused of working for “REvil,” a particularly aggressive ransomware group that has extorted hundreds of millions of dollars from victim organizations. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said the actions were taken in response to a request from U.S. officials, but many experts believe the crackdown is part of an effort to reduce tensions over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to station 100,000 troops along the nation’s border with Ukraine.

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Russian Cybercrime Boss Burkov Pleads Guilty

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2020 18:21:46 +0000

Aleksei Burkov, an ultra-connected Russian hacker once described as “an asset of supreme importance” to Moscow, has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to running a site that sold stolen payment card data and to administering a highly secretive crime forum that counted among its members some of the most elite Russian cybercrooks.

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