Security News > 2021 > March > Russian Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Attempt to Plant Malware on Tesla Systems
The Russian national who attempted to convince a Tesla employee to plant malware on the company's computers has pleaded guilty, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday.
Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov, 27, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer.
Kriuchkov is accused of conspiring with others to convince an employee of Tesla to plant malware on the electric car maker's network as part of a ransomware attack.
The Russian traveled to the U.S. in July 2020 on a tourist visa and contacted the targeted Tesla employee, who was located in Nevada, shortly after.
The employee decided to inform Tesla about the cybercriminals' plan and the company notified the FBI, which organized a sting operation.
Kriuchkov was arrested in August 2020 and in September he pleaded not guilty.