A Russian national accused of developing a piece of malware named NLBrute has been extradited to the United States from the Eastern European country of Georgia. Dariy Pankov, aka dpxaker, was extradited from Georgia in October 2022 and he appeared before a US judge this week. Pankov has been charged with computer fraud, conspiracy, and access device fraud, and faces up to 47 years in prison. The man will remain in custody during his trial.
According to the US Justice Department, Pankov made at least $350,000 from cybercrime activities between 2016 and 2019. He is believed to have developed and sold NLBrute, a tool that has been widely used by cybercriminals to obtain credentials. The tool is designed for brute-forcing RDP credentials and at one point it was used in tandem with a botnet in an effort to distribute the brute-forcing process.
Pankov is also accused of using the malware to obtain login credentials for tens of thousands of computers around the world and offering to sell 35,000 credentials on a cybercrime forum. Two law firms in Florida are mentioned as victims in the indictment, but they have not been named. US authorities said they also plan on forfeiting more than $350,000 that can be traced to the proceeds of Pankov’s crimes.
In addition to the Pankov extradition, the US Justice Department announced this week that two men from Maryland have been sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison for laundering money as part of a business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
In summary, Dariy Pankov, a Russian national, has been extradited to the United States from Georgia for developing and selling NLBrute, a malware tool used to obtain credentials. Pankov faces up to 47 years in prison, and US authorities are seeking to forfeit more than $350,000. The US Justice Department has also sentenced two men from Maryland to a combined 14 years in prison for laundering money as part of a business email compromise scheme.
Key Points:
- A Russian national, Dariy Pankov, has been extradited to the US for developing and selling NLBrute, a malware tool.
- Pankov faces up to 47 years in prison and US authorities are seeking to forfeit more than $350,000.
- Two men from Maryland have been sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison for laundering money as part of a business email compromise scheme.
