Ukrainian nationwide Mark Sokolovsky was sentenced at present to 5 years in jail for his involvement within the Raccoon Stealer malware cybercrime operation.
In response to unsealed courtroom paperwork, Sokolovsky (often known as raccoon-stealer, Photix, and black21jack77777) and his conspirators rented the malware to different risk actors below a MaaS (malware-as-a-service) mannequin for $75 per week or $200 month-to-month.
After infecting a tool, Raccoon Stealer collects and steals a variety of information, together with credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, bank card information, e mail information, and different delicate data from dozens of functions.
In March 2022, police arrested Sokolovsky within the Netherlands. The FBI additionally took the malware offline by dismantling its infrastructure in a joint motion with regulation enforcement authorities within the Netherlands and Italy.
The Raccoon Stealer cybercrime gang additionally suspended operations across the time of Sokolovsky’s arrest, saying that one among their lead builders had been killed throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the malware operation has been revived a number of instances, with newer variations including extra information theft capabilities.
Sokolovsky was extradited to the USA in February 2024 after being indicted for fraud, cash laundering, and aggravated identification theft in October 2022. One yr later, he pleaded responsible and agreed to pay no less than $910,844.61 in restitution.
“Mark Sokolovsky was a key player in an international criminal conspiracy that victimized countless individuals by administering malware which made it cheaper and easier for even amateurs to commit complex cybercrimes,” stated U.S. Legal professional Jaime Esparza at present.
“Sokolovsky’s infostealer was responsible for compromising more than 52 million user credentials, which were then used in furtherance of fraud, identity theft, and ransomware attacks on millions of victims worldwide,” FBI Particular Agent in Cost Aaron Tapp added.
After dismantling Raccoon Stealer’s infrastructure in March 2022, the FBI additionally created an internet site to assist victims examine whether or not their data was included within the stolen information utilizing this malware.
In case your information has been compromised, you’ll obtain an e mail containing extra data and sources on the handle offered when looking out the FBI’s Raccoon Infostealer Disclosure portal.
