From Russia, with Malware: US Charges Hacking Group Evil Corp. In $100M Bank Fraud
PYMNTS, 05 December 2019
Call it Russian interference of a different sort that netted $100 million from banks and financial institutions (FIs) in more than 40 countries.
What would you expect from an outfit named Evil Corp.? Sometimes, it seems, there is truth in advertising.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a multicount indictment Thursday (Dec. 5) against two Russian citizens, Igor Turashev and Maksim V. Yakubets. They are connected with a Russian hacking group known as Evil Corp., which has been known to release malware. The duo allegedly — and with the help of more than a dozen others — worked to deploy malware known as Dridex (aka Cridex and Bugat) and for committing wire and bank fraud.
The malware was used to lift banking credentials, financial data and personal information from victims, and for deploying ransomware.
In its release, the Justice Department said “the State Department, in partnership with the FBI, announced today a reward of up to $5 million under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yakubets.”
Yakubets, who also has been known as “aqua,” has been cited as being the leader of Evil Corp., which is the group of hackers behind the Dridex malware used in phishing email attacks.
