U.S. charges Ukrainian ‘Raccoon Infostealer’ for cybercrime

Mark Sokolovski, 26, is being held in the Netherlands and the United States is seeking his extradition, the State Department said in a statement.

The Raccoon Infostealer malware claims to have been leased to cybercriminals for $200 per month and paid in cryptocurrency.

The malware was then installed on unsuspecting victims’ computers and used to steal personal data, including login credentials and financial information, the ministry said.

In March 2022, the year Sokolovski was arrested, the FBI and law enforcement partners in Italy and the Netherlands dismantled the digital infrastructure supporting the “raccoon infostealer.”

According to the Justice Department, the FBI has extracted more than 50 million unique credentials and forms of identification such as email addresses and credit card numbers from data stolen from millions of potential victims around the world. said to have identified.

“This case highlights the importance of international collaboration that the DOJ and partners are using to dismantle modern cyberthreats,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

“Cyber ​​threats do not respect national borders, as reflected in the number of potential victims and the global spread of this attack, making international cooperation even more important,” said Monaco. .

Sokolowski has been charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. He faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of wire fraud and laundering his money.

The Justice Department said Sokolovski is appealing a September 2022 decision by the Amsterdam District Court to allow extradition to the United States.