US Indicts Russian National Over Alleged Role in Qakbot Ransomware Attacks

Federal prosecutors also filed a complaint seeking the forfeiture of more than $24 million in cryptocurrency seized from the defendant.
US Indicts Russian National Over Alleged Role in Qakbot Ransomware Attacks
A laptop with binary code is displayed on the screen in front of a Russian flag, in this picture illustration created on Aug. 19, 2022. Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Aldgra Fredly
Updated:
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) on May 22 unsealed charges against a Russian citizen accused of leading a cybercriminal group responsible for the Qakbot malware, which has targeted hundreds of thousands of computers across the United States and globally.

Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, 48, of Moscow, allegedly created Qakbot in 2008 and began using it in 2019 to infect computers with ransomware, targeting companies in various sectors, including a dental clinic in Los Angeles, a music company in Tennessee and an insurance company in Maryland, according to the indictment.