Security News > 2023 > February > Russian malware dev behind NLBrute hacking tool extradited to US
A Russian malware developer accused of creating and selling the NLBrute password-cracking tool was extradited to the United States after being arrested in the Republic of Georgia last year on October 4.
"The powerful malware was capable of compromising protected computers by decrypting login credentials, such as passwords," the Justice Department said in a press release on Wednesday.
"Pankov used NLBrute to obtain the login credentials of tens of thousands of computers located all over the world. He marketed, sold, and had others sell on his behalf, NLBrute to other cybercriminals for a fee."
The investigators could trace $358,437 withdrawn by Pankov from the illegal marketplace between August 2016 and January 2019, obtained from selling access to hacked computers.
Last week, the Justice Department announced that Russian national Vladislav Klyushin was convicted of his involvement in a hacking scheme that led to $90 million in illegal profits via securities trades based on non-public info stolen from U.S. networks.
In January, the Russian founder of the Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato was also arrested and charged with helping cybercriminals launder illegally obtained money.
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