Vyacheslav Penchukov (also known as «tank» and «father»), one of the leaders of the well-known cybercrime group JabberZeus, a citizen of Ukraine, was arrested in 2022 — while traveling with his wife to Geneva, Switzerland — and extradited to the United States in 2023.
The US Department of Justice first indicted the hacker in 2012 — for participating in an operation using Zeus malware and stealing a million dollars using personal identification numbers, bank account numbers, credentials, and other sensitive information stolen from infected devices.
Penchukov was also one of the leaders of the Maze ransomware operation. Later, to avoid responsibility, it was renamed Egregor and Sekhmet — however, the hacker and other suspects were detained by the Ukrainian police as part of a joint international operation.
According to investigative journalist Brian Krebs, Penchukov has not been prosecuted because of political connections — in particular, the late son of Viktor Yanukovych is mentioned.
Penchukov also led operations with the IcedID (or Bokbot) malware and was wanted by the FBI for more than 10 years.
«Vyacheslav Penchukov was the leader of two groups that infected thousands of computers with malware. They stole millions of dollars from their victims and even attacked a major hospital with ransomware, leaving it unable to provide critical patient care for two weeks», — says Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri.
Penchukov pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit extortion and his leadership role in the Zeus operation; and a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and his leadership role in the IcedID malware operation.
The hacker faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count. The sentencing is scheduled for May 9.
Source: Bleeping Computer