A Russian man was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison for providing hosting services to cybercriminals between 2009 and 2015. These services were used to spread malware, mainly in the United States.
Aleksandr Grichishkin, 34, was the founder and chairman of a hosting company that rented out Internet IP addresses, servers and domains to criminals. The U.S. Department of Justice said. They used the infrastructure to distribute malware that could be used to access victims’ computers, create botnets and steal bank information. Malware programs such as Zeus, SpyEye, Citadel and Blackhole Exploit Kit were used by the hosting service. The perpetrators who used the Russian service between 2009 and 2015 are said to have “caused millions of dollars in damage to American citizens.”
According to court documents, Krichiskin advertised his company in cybercrime forums, set prices for these services and interacted with customers. He is responsible for hiring and paying employees. Russian has helped keep customers’s invisible to the police, including transferring customer data to new, ‘clean’ domains and IP addresses. Two of Krischikin’s associates were convicted in the case earlier this year; 30-year-old Estonian and 33-year-old Lithuanian. They were sentenced to two years and four years in prison, respectively.
“Introvert. Communicator. Tv fanatic. Typical coffee advocate. Proud music maven. Infuriatingly humble student.”
More Stories
US stars shine in lion’s den: Stephen Curry leads Team USA to gold
Russian Tortoises: The Ideal Pet for Reptile Enthusiasts
Biden and Xi want to sit down one last time