Russian national pleads guilty in Trickbot malware case
A Russian man pleaded guilty today for his role in developing and deploying the malicious software known as Trickbot, which was used to launch cyberattacks against U.S. hospitals and other companies, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
In 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said cybercriminals used Trickbot against healthcare providers and public health agencies as the coronavirus pandemic reached new heights.
Developers made several improvements to Trickbot in 2019.
“Dunaev developed browser modifications and malicious tools that helped collect credentials and data mining from infected computers, facilitated and enhanced the remote access used by Trickbot actors, and created a program code to prevent the Trickbot malware from being detected by legitimate security software,” DOJ said in a rack November 30.
Trickbot and Conti cybercriminals caught, charged and convicted
In February and September, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued financial sanctions against several suspected Trickbot members, the DOJ noted.
In June, Alla Witte, a Trickbot malware developer and a Latvian citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, the agency added.
In September, DOJ charged nine individuals who used Trickbot and Conti in cyberattacks that left 900 victims worldwide – including hospitals, healthcare providers and their patients.
“Dunaev's guilty plea and our partnership with South Korea that made his extradition possible are a great example of what we can accomplish together with our foreign partners,” said Nicole Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ's Criminal Division , in the statement.
“Cybercriminals need to know that countries around the world stand ready to bring them to justice and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.