Ukrainian hacker pleaded guilty to Zeus and IcedID attacks – he faces up to 40 years in prison

by alex

One of the leaders of the famous cybercriminal group JabberZeus, a citizen of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Penchukov (also known as “tank” and “father”) was arrested in 2022 – during a trip with his wife to Geneva, Switzerland – and extradited in the USA in 2023.

The US Department of Justice first charged a hacker in 2012 for participating in an operation using the Zeus malware and stealing a million dollars using personal identification numbers, bank account numbers, credentials and other confidential information stolen from infected devices.

Penchukov was also one of the leaders of the Maze ransomware operation. Later, in order to avoid responsibility, it was renamed Egregor and Sekhmet – however, the hacker and other suspects were detained in 2021 by Ukrainian police as part of a joint international operation.

As investigative journalist Brian Krebs noted, Penchukov was not prosecuted because of his political connections – in particular, the late son of Viktor Yanukovych is mentioned.

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Penchukov also led the IcedID (or Bokbot) malware operations and was wanted by the FBI for over 10 years.

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“Vyacheslav Penchukov was the leader of two groups that infected thousands of computers with malware. They stole millions of dollars from their victims and even attacked a major hospital with ransomware, leaving it unable to provide critical patient care for two weeks,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri.

Penchukov pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to extortion and his leadership role in Operation Zeus; and on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and his leadership role in the IcedID malware operations.

The hacker faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. Sentencing is scheduled for May 9.

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