37-year-old Ruslans Bondars, described equally a Latvian "non-citizen" or "citizen of the one-time USSR who had been residing inwards Riga, Latvia," was flora guilty on May sixteen inwards federal courtroom inwards Alexandria, during which a co-conspirator revealed he had worked amongst Russian constabulary enforcement.
Bondars created too ran Scan4you—a VirusTotal similar online multi-engine antivirus scanning service that allowed hackers to run their code past times several pop antiviruses to decide if their calculator virus or malware would last flagged during routine safety scans earlier launching them into a real-world malware campaign.
While legal scanning services part information nearly uploaded files amongst the antivirus firms, Scan4you instead informed its users that they could "upload files anonymously too promised non to part information nearly the uploaded files amongst the antivirus community."
Bondars was 1 of the ii hackers flora to choose been running Scan4you from 2009 to 2016 too helping other malware authors exam too ameliorate the malware they therefore "used to inflict hundreds of millions of dollars inwards losses on American companies too consumers."
Bondars’ partner Jurijs Martisevs, who was likewise arrested field on a trip to Republic of Latvia too extradited to the United States, pleaded guilty to similar charges dorsum inwards March this year.
For instance, 1 Scan4you client used the service to exam malware that was after used to pocket unopen to xl 1000000 credit too debit bill of fare numbers, too other personal information from a US retail store, causing $292 1000000 inwards losses.
Another client used Scan4you to assist the evolution of "Citadel"—a widely used malware strain that infected over xi 1000000 computers worldwide, including inwards the U.S.A. too resulted inwards over $500 1000000 inwards fraud-related losses.
"Ruslans Bondars helped malware developers laid upward on American businesses," said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. "The Department of Justice too its constabulary enforcement partners brand no distinction betwixt service providers similar Scan4You too the hackers they assist: nosotros volition concur them accountable for all of the pregnant harm they own too run tirelessly to convey them to justice, wherever they may last located."
Bondars was convicted of 3 counts, including conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud too Abuse Act, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, too calculator intrusion amongst intent to own impairment too was sentenced to 168 months inwards prison theater on Friday.
Although US courtroom never charged Bondars amongst straight interest inwards whatsoever hacking, courtroom documents demo he used malware to rob online users too play a joke on them into buying antivirus services they did non need.
Moreover, prosecutors likewise tell Scan4You was an "innovation" inwards malware that has inspired many copycats, which resulted inwards such services beingness readily available on the Internet.
