"Russian Pleads Guilty to Role in Developing TrickBot Malware"

Vladimir Dunaev, 40 and a Russian national, recently pleaded guilty to his involvement in developing and deploying the TrickBot malware, which was used in cyberattacks against organizations worldwide, including hospitals and schools, causing tens of millions of dollars in losses. TrickBot came to life in 2016 and was used to steal money and information. It acted as an initial access vector for other malware families, including ransomware such as Ryuk and Conti. The operation was taken down by law enforcement in 2022. While active, the malware infected millions of computers worldwide, allowing threat actors to harvest sensitive information, including banking credentials, credit card numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, emails, and passwords.  Dunaev, according to court documents, was part of the Trickbot gang between November 2015 and August 2020. In his role, he built “browser modifications and malicious tools that aided in credential harvesting and data mining from infected computers.”  He also developed tools that enabled the TrickBot operators to access the infected systems remotely and helped the malware evade detection. Dunaev was arrested in South Korea, and was extradited to the US in 2021. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 20, 2024. Dunaev pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, identity theft, and wire and bank fraud. He faces up to 35 years in prison.

SecurityWeek reports: "Russian Pleads Guilty to Role in Developing TrickBot Malware"