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$2.5 million for information about the creator of the Angler Exploit Kit.
The U.S. State Department has announced a reward of up to $2.5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Vladimir Kadaria, accused of involvement in a major cybercriminal group.
Kadaria, 38, known by the aliases "Stalin," "Eseb," and "baxus", is suspected of distributing the Angler Exploit Kit. From October 2013 to March 2022, Kadaria allegedly used online advertising to deliver malware to the computers of millions of unsuspecting victims.
U.S. State Department poster
At its peak, the Angler Exploit Kit (AEK) was one of the most popular tools among cybercriminals to infect devices. According to the NCA, during the period of maximum distribution, Angler accounted for about 40% of all exploit kit infections. The annual turnover from criminal actions was estimated at $34 million.
Qadaria was indicted in June on charges related to financial fraud and computer crimes. The ad campaigns that Kadaria participated in looked like the real thing, but often redirected victims to malicious sites. The sites were created with the aim of deceiving users or infecting devices with malware.
Some of the advertisements encouraged victims to purchase or download malware, grant remote access to the device, or reveal personal and financial information. Kadaria and his accomplices made money by selling access to infected devices on cybercrime forums, as well as stolen information, including banking details and accounts.
In early August, Kadaria's accomplice, Maxim Silnikov, was arrested and extradited to the United States. Silnikov led two multi-year cybercriminal schemes and created the RaaS virus Reveton, which allowed less-skilled criminals to launch ransomware attacks for a fee.
It is believed that it was Silnikov who was behind the creation of the Angler Exploit Kit. If found guilty, Silnikov, Kadaria and their third partner, Andrey Tarasov, could face maximum sentences: 27 years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud, 10 years for conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and 20 years for each count of fraud.
Source
The U.S. State Department has announced a reward of up to $2.5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Vladimir Kadaria, accused of involvement in a major cybercriminal group.
Kadaria, 38, known by the aliases "Stalin," "Eseb," and "baxus", is suspected of distributing the Angler Exploit Kit. From October 2013 to March 2022, Kadaria allegedly used online advertising to deliver malware to the computers of millions of unsuspecting victims.
U.S. State Department poster
At its peak, the Angler Exploit Kit (AEK) was one of the most popular tools among cybercriminals to infect devices. According to the NCA, during the period of maximum distribution, Angler accounted for about 40% of all exploit kit infections. The annual turnover from criminal actions was estimated at $34 million.
Qadaria was indicted in June on charges related to financial fraud and computer crimes. The ad campaigns that Kadaria participated in looked like the real thing, but often redirected victims to malicious sites. The sites were created with the aim of deceiving users or infecting devices with malware.
Some of the advertisements encouraged victims to purchase or download malware, grant remote access to the device, or reveal personal and financial information. Kadaria and his accomplices made money by selling access to infected devices on cybercrime forums, as well as stolen information, including banking details and accounts.
In early August, Kadaria's accomplice, Maxim Silnikov, was arrested and extradited to the United States. Silnikov led two multi-year cybercriminal schemes and created the RaaS virus Reveton, which allowed less-skilled criminals to launch ransomware attacks for a fee.
It is believed that it was Silnikov who was behind the creation of the Angler Exploit Kit. If found guilty, Silnikov, Kadaria and their third partner, Andrey Tarasov, could face maximum sentences: 27 years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud, 10 years for conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and 20 years for each count of fraud.
Source
