Security News > 2023 > December > TrickBot malware dev pleads guilty, faces 35 years in prison
On Thursday, a Russian national pleaded guilty to charges related to his involvement in developing and deploying the Trickbot malware, which was used in attacks against hospitals, companies, and individuals in the United States and worldwide.
According to court documents, a 40-year-old individual, also known as FFX, oversaw the development of TrickBot's browser injection component as a malware developer.
Allegedly, Dunaev's association with the TrickBot malware syndicate started in June 2016 after being hired as a developer following a recruitment test requiring him to create an app simulating a SOCKS server and to alter the Firefox browser.
The TrickBot malware helped its operators harvest personal and sensitive information and steal funds from their victims' banking accounts.
Dunaev is the second TrickBot gang malware developer arrested by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Initially focused on stealing banking credentials when it surfaced in 2015, the TrickBot malware evolved into a modular tool leveraged by cybercrime organizations such as Ryuk and Conti ransomware for initial access into compromised corporate networks.