During his "career", the Ukrainian managed to become the No. 1 cybercriminal for the FBI.
A 37-year-old citizen of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, admitted his participation in the activities of two major cybercrime groups. Over the past 10 years, he and his associates have stolen millions of dollars from victims around the world. The confession was made in the US Federal Court in Nebraska on February 15.
Penchukov was detained in Switzerland in 2022 and extradited to the United States in 2023. He is accused of involvement in campaigns with the Zeus malware, which appeared in May 2009, as well as with the IcedID banking Trojan (Bokbot), which criminals used from November 2018 to February 2021.
The Zeus virus was used by hackers to gain access to victims accounts and steal funds through unauthorized transfers. To do this, the group engaged intermediaries in the United States, the so-called "money mules". Their task was to receive the stolen money and transfer it to accounts controlled by intruders.
Because of his involvement in Zeus, Penchukov was listed as one of the FBI's most wanted cyber villains. However, this did not prevent him from continuing his criminal activities. Later, he headed the IcedID group, which also engaged in the theft of bank data and the distribution of other dangerous software, including ransomware.
One of the victims of IcedID was the University of Vermont Medical Center, which lost $ 30 million due to a cyber attack. The center was unable to provide many important medical services for two weeks, which created a threat to the life and health of patients.
Penchukov pleaded guilty to distributing Zeus and fraud as part of IcedID. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the charges. The verdict will be handed down on May 9.
A 37-year-old citizen of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, admitted his participation in the activities of two major cybercrime groups. Over the past 10 years, he and his associates have stolen millions of dollars from victims around the world. The confession was made in the US Federal Court in Nebraska on February 15.
Penchukov was detained in Switzerland in 2022 and extradited to the United States in 2023. He is accused of involvement in campaigns with the Zeus malware, which appeared in May 2009, as well as with the IcedID banking Trojan (Bokbot), which criminals used from November 2018 to February 2021.
The Zeus virus was used by hackers to gain access to victims accounts and steal funds through unauthorized transfers. To do this, the group engaged intermediaries in the United States, the so-called "money mules". Their task was to receive the stolen money and transfer it to accounts controlled by intruders.
Because of his involvement in Zeus, Penchukov was listed as one of the FBI's most wanted cyber villains. However, this did not prevent him from continuing his criminal activities. Later, he headed the IcedID group, which also engaged in the theft of bank data and the distribution of other dangerous software, including ransomware.
One of the victims of IcedID was the University of Vermont Medical Center, which lost $ 30 million due to a cyber attack. The center was unable to provide many important medical services for two weeks, which created a threat to the life and health of patients.
Penchukov pleaded guilty to distributing Zeus and fraud as part of IcedID. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the charges. The verdict will be handed down on May 9.
